A Christmas Tale
by mfindlow
Summary: Santa is in trouble. Can the Torchwood Team band together to save Christmas?
1. Chapter 1

Ianto was just drifting off to sleep when Jack shook his shoulder. Their plans were to spend Christmas day with Ianto's family, and Rhiannon had suggested they stay the night to make it easier. That way they could take the kids to carols on Christmas Eve, and be there on Christmas morning to watch them open their presents.

'Ianto,' Jack's voice called.

'Mphf,' was the only response he got. Jack was going to need a better reason for him to wake up properly. The house wasn't large, but the spare room and the bed were comfortable enough for Ianto to not want to give in to Jack's nocturnal interruption.

'Ianto,' he said, shaking him again. 'Do you hear that?'

'Hear what?'

'There was tapping on the roof.'

'Probably just squirrels or owls,' he replied sleepily.

'Wait, I think I can hear someone downstairs.'

Did Jack really have to do this now? Ianto thought. 'It'll just be Rhi putting the presents under the tree.'

'No, she's already done that.'

'Then it's David trying to get a sneak peak.' He was starting to get annoyed. The more Jack talked the more awake he felt. Then he heard the sound coming up the stairs. Heavy footsteps, not a child's sneaky patter.

'Did you hear that?'

'Yep,' Ianto replied, now sitting up.

'Maybe it's a burglar.'

'On Christmas Eve?'

'Why not? Plenty of stuff to steal. Wish I had my gun,' Jack commented.

'Not in my sister's house you don't.' Ianto had firm rules about that. Their guns would stay safely locked up in the SUV, assuming they were called out to an emergency.

They both froze for a moment, still sat up in bed, listening to the sound approaching the door. In Ianto's head he was thinking "don't be such a chicken. You're both Torchwood for God's sake, do something!"

He didn't get a chance. Unexpectedly a large figure pushed the door open and entered.

'Captain Jack Harkness?'

'Um, yeah,' Jack replied awkwardly, too distracted by the appearance of the man stood in front of them. Even in the dark his features were distinctive. Long white beard, big black boots, red suit and hat trimmed with white fur.

'Excellent. I need your help.'

A gigantic grin spread across Jack's face as he grabbed Ianto by the shoulders and shook him excitedly.

'Oh my God. It's Santa and he needs our help. How awesome is that?'

'Only Torchwood,' Ianto sighed.

* * *

Ianto still wasn't sure he could believe what he was seeing.

'How do we know he's not just some nutter off the street?' Ianto muttered under his breath, leaning in towards Jack.

'They're not all nutters,' Santa replied, 'Some of them actually do quite a good job. I do have a brand to protect after all.'

'So you're really Santa?' Jack asked.

'Of course.'

'And why are you here. I mean, not that it's not expected, it being Christmas Eve and all, but I'm pretty sure you don't do the PR visit for everyone.'

'The Doctor said if I ever needed help I should find you. And right now I need a lot of help.'

'Oh,' Jack sat up a little straighter. Getting approval from The Doctor was like getting an award from the school principal in Jack's world. 'What can we do for you, sir?'

'Close the door. The others might hear us,' Ianto interrupted.

'Oh don't worry, they're all fast asleep,' Santa said reassuringly.

'You don't know Rhi. She hears everything.' The way he said it made it sound like he still remembered every teenage moment when she'd busted him trying to sneak out of the house, and that it somehow still irked him to this day,

'She won't hear us. How else do you think I've managed to deliver presents into every house on the planet without ever waking anyone up? It's all part of the magic.'

'Magic Santa sleeping dust?' Ianto queried skeptically.

'If you like,' he replied.

'I can't believe we're discussing the finer points of yuletide logistics.'

'You said you needed help,' Jack said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

'Yes. I admit I probably should have contacted you sooner. I was rather hoping it would sort itself out, but now we're in a right mess.'

'What happened?'

'It's the elves.'

* * *

Jack knew he wouldn't be popular calling the team into the hub on Christmas Eve. Tosh of course, was there right on time. Owen was second, surprisingly, though still grumbling. Gwen was last, having had a row with Rhys first about having to go. By the time they had all gathered in the boardroom, Ianto already had a fresh round of coffee going.

'No suit?' Owen asked.

Ianto looked down and inspected his wardrobe. Dark jeans and a mint green shirt, casual vest, undone and hanging loose, and black leather shoes. It was what he'd been wearing earlier that evening.

'Staying at my sister's,' he said by way of explanation.

'I think you look lovely,' said Tosh.

'Thanks Tosh.'

' So why are we all here?' Owen asked, 'And don't tell me it's because Santa needs help.'

'He does,' announced Jack, entering the room with Santa following in after him.

Three faces stared back stunned.

'Well bugger me,' Owen said, 'now I've seen everything.'

'Coffee?' Ianto offered Santa, just as he was passing Jack his own steaming mug,

'Just cocoa for me thanks. Never drink coffee.'

For anyone else Ianto might have been offended, but this was Santa. He obliged and went to fetch some.

When everyone was settled again Jack started the briefing.

'Okay, so apparently there's some kind of sickness affecting Santa's elves.' The team were impressed that Jack could keep a straight face saying that. Torchwood was bizarre a lot of the time but this was a while new level of wacky.

'What kind of sickness?' asked Gwen.

'Probably best I start from the beginning,' said Santa. 'Jessie was the first. She was helping sort out the lists and kept complaining she felt cold. Never one to compIain, Jessie, and elves don't feel the cold. She started to get feverish but it's not like any fever I've seen. Red spots all over her. She slipped into a coma not long after. Then others started to get it too.'

'How many cases?' asked Owen procedurally.

'Over two hundred when I left. Almost every elf has it now. It spread so quickly that by the time we realised it was a problem, it was too late.'

'And what about you. Any symptoms?'

'Nothing. All the reindeer seem fine too. It seems to be just the elves.'

Owen raised an eyebrow at the mention of reindeer, and then remembered who he was talking to.

'Maybe Owen should run some tests on you, just to be sure,' Jack offered.

'If you think it will help.'

'It's a start.'

'Not to be blunt,' Gwen added, 'but what happens now? I mean, it's Christmas Eve.'

Santa gave a tired sigh. 'I don't know. The workshop has come to a standstill. Apparently some of the machinery has broken down and can't be fixed. We haven't met quota for gifts yet, and have no one to pack, sort and manage delivery. It's a disaster. Four hundred and fifty seven years and we've never missed a Christmas.'

Jack reached across the table and put a placating hand on his arm.

'We'll do what we can. No one's going to stop Christmas this year.'

'Then we best be off.'

'Off where?'

'The North Pole of course.'

* * *

At the mention of needing a logistics expert, Gwen insisted that Rhys come with them. Not only that, but hopefully she would be forgiven for bolting out of the flat earlier. She couldn't wait to tell him as she grabbed for her phone.

'Rhys I need you to come meet me at the hub.'

'Done already, or is the world ending on Christmas Eve?'

'Not exactly. I was thinking we could use your expertise.'

'Oh, expertise now is it? And who would we be helping?'

Rhys nearly dropped the phone at Gwen's response.

'Santa? he said incredulously. 'That's not even funny Gwen. Why can't you just be honest. If it's aliens taken over Penarth, it's fine, really, just tell me.'

'I am Rhys! Come on, just get up and hurry.'

* * *

Assembled at the hub, no one was brave enough to ask the question until Ianto piped up.

'So exactly how do you get to the North Pole? Last I checked British Airways didn't have a direct flight.'

'We take the sleigh through the rift of course.'

'There's a rift over the North Pole?'

'Well, the North Pole isn't actually at the North Pole. Too may polar bears and they're vicious blighters. Anyway, it's quite lucky you being where you are. You have a rift here, we have a rift at the North Pole. Think of it like a direct connection.'

Santa lead them across the plass. 'Hop in.'

Five faces looked totally confused. It was Jack who figured it out first.

'Ah, perception filter on the sleigh,' Jack said. 'Nice one.'

Just as quickly as Jack had said it, the sleigh more or less appeared in front of them, complete with eight reindeer. It was just as you would have imagined it. Seemingly carved from a single piece of wood, heavily lacquered but with neat gold filigree adorning the sides and the edges. It was altogether larger than expected though, the front seat covered in a thick burgundy leather with neat brass studs, and an even larger compartment behind the main seat with a small bench for sitting, but mainly for carrying the large swathe of gifts that should have otherwise been there.

'All it takes is for you to imagine it there and it becomes visible.'

'Bloody hell,' said Rhys, 'you don't see that every day now, do you?'

They all clambered in, disconcertingly looking for seat belts that didn't exist. Even though there were the six of them, they fitted quite comfortably three on each side.

'Off we go then,' Santa said cheerily.

The sleigh rose sharply and they clung tightly to the edges and each other. Just a quickly as they'd risen into the sky, a flash of light burst forward and a star dusted sky appeared in front of them. Now when they looked down, no longer could they seem the sodium lit metropolis of Cardiff, but a long expanse of untouched white snow, dotted with the occasional patch of thick forest.

Before they had a chance to properly admire the uninterrupted views, they were descending down again towards an urbanised area.

Rhys stumbled out of the sleigh.

'God, I think I'm going to be sick.' he moaned.

'And here's you telling me you're the king of roller-coasters,' mused Gwen.

* * *

If any of them were expecting a quaint little village sparkling with fairly lights, tinsel covered trees and tinkling music, they were sorely disappointed. In front of them was a modern town, clean lines of streets and small townhouses dotted along the avenues. At one end was an industrious looking plant, but with sleekly designed glass panelling across the entire facade, and fitting in unobtrusively with the surroundings.

'Not quite what I expected,' Jack observed.

'Yes, the storybooks haven't quite caught up. We're very twenty first century here, supplying Christmas to the modern world.'

'And the sleigh?' Jack asked bemused. 'Not quite in line with the rest.'

'Me being archaic. Like classic cars, they never go out of style.'

'Sounds like someone I know,' Ianto muttered, wrapping his coat tighter around him.

'Come on,' Santa said, making his way toward the elaborate frontage of the building in front of him, 'The sooner we get inside, the sooner I can get you all up to speed.'

* * *

They entered the enormous lobby, taken aback by it's beauty. The floor was covered in a tessellated pattern of marble in shades of blushing rose and sage green, in amongst which sat intricate designs of gold and silver. The craftsmanship of the masonry was unsurpassed by anything they'd ever seen before. The furniture was all polished cherry and mahogany wood and there was more of the same fine leather in deep hues of claret and spruce. It reminded Jack of the elegant men's smoking lounges from the 1920's, but on a much larger scale.

Stood at the centre of the lobby was a sharp suited man, his short white blond hair and dark square spectacles casting an authoritative look about him, tablet computer tucked under his arm.

'Ah, Santa, good to have you back, sir. I take it these are the consultants. Can I set you all up in the boardroom?'

'That would be excellent, thank you. Everyone, this is Brady. He's my chief of operations. And one of the few lucky ones not to be affected by this mysterious illness.'

'Pleasure to meet you all. This way.'

Whilst they were being lead down one corridor after another, Brady was conversing seriously with Santa, holding out his tablet to show him graphs of some sort. Jack caught only snatches of their conversation. Something about estimated production and dispatch.

Jack poked Ianto in the side. 'Remind you of anyone?'

Ianto blushed slightly. 'Never underestimate the value of a good assistant.'

* * *

After various discussions in the boardroom the problem seemed much bigger than just a few sick elves. The entire production that was Christmas had come to a complete standstill as a consequence.

'I know we're meant to be helping, but even if we figure out the problem with the elves, how do we get everything done in time?'

'Time's relative here because of the rift. I can't quite explain it, but it's almost as if time moves slower outside the North Pole, meaning that we can get more done here in an hour than what passes for an entire day outside. It would be impossible to deliver all the world's gifts in a single night otherwise. I hate to say it, but if we can just get everything back in working order, we might not need the elves. We need to find a cure, but we also need to make sure that Christmas isn't delayed a moment longer.

We've already lost quite a bit of time. I know you all want to do what you can and there's so much to do, and I've already asked a great deal, but I have one more favour to ask.'

'What is it?'

'I'm going to need someone to help with delivering presents. Who's most accomplished at flying?'

Everyone in the room sat there in silence. Sick elves and broken machinery were one thing, but flying a sleigh?

'If it flies, I can fly it,' Jack said.

'Excellent. We'll have to split up the reindeer. They won't be happy about it because they'll get tired quicker but they'll understand that we're doing it to keep everything on schedule as best we can.'

Santa stood up from his chair and started walking down the corridor, indicating they should follow him. Ianto sidled up to Jack but he quickly cut him off.

'If you mention the incident with the glider, you'll be getting a lump of coal for Christmas.'

'Wouldn't dream of it,' Ianto smirked. 'Just don't drive it like you do the SUV.'

'What's wrong with how I drive the SUV?'

'Nothing,' Ianto replied blithely.

Brady efficiently reappeared at that moment and handed his tablet to Santa once more for inspection. Whatever he was shown caused him to frown with concern.

'Whoever is left has been isolated to prevent it spreading any further,' Santa explained. 'It also means that wherever you're working, you'll unfortunately have to be isolated too. If it can be transferred from elf to elf, people might also be able to carry it elsewhere. I can't lose what few elves we have left that aren't already sick. At least until we're sure.'

'Okay, so we split up. Owen, I don't need to tell you to get down to their infirmary and start working out what's wrong and how to fix it. Tosh, take the workshop. If anyone can get the systems back up and running it's you. Gwen, you and Rhys help out with the lists and then Rhys can see if you can get the delivery systems back up and working. Ianto, I'm going to need a navigator, and no one's more qualified at packing and organising. If we can get that sorted, and I think we'll be in business.'


	2. Chapter 2

Owen followed Brady's instructions on how to find the infirmary. The building itself was like a mini city within a city, having facilities for almost everything you could possibly need and plenty of signage to indicate the various functions contained in each room and corridor. It was like a bigger version of the hub.

When he finally rounded the corridor to the infirmary, it was a bit of a shock. It was like being in a war zone. There weren't nearly enough spaces to fit all of the maligned. They were pressed up toe to toe across the floor on makeshift mattresses and some of the lesser sick huddled upright and swathed in blankets.

'Oh, thank heavens you're here,' said a frantic looking brunette. 'Santa said you were on your way.'

Owen was taken aback by the pretty young women. She wasn't much shorter than him. Slotting his professional mask in place he introduced himself.

'Owen Harper.'

'Sandy,' she said, extending her hand to shake his, 'Pleased to meet you Owen. Sorry it's bedlam in here.' Her hair was falling out of its neat bun and across her face, but she didn't seem to notice it, or if she did, simply didn't have time or inclination to do anything about it. It made her instantly appeal to Owen.

'Tell me what you can,' he instructed.

'Started a few days ago. Elf came in and reported spots on her arms and legs and chills. No one could find anything wrong apart from that, so she was sent back to work. The next day she collapsed right on the workshop floor and they sent her back up here. Then others reported spots and feeling unwell. Before we knew it, there were dozens of cases.'

'Where are the staff?'

'What staff? It's just me.'

'You've been looking after all these people by yourself?'

'No choice,' she replied, whilst bending down to touch an elf's forehead, checking their temperature. 'Everyone else is sick.'

'And how come you're not? You are an elf aren't you?'

'Of course I am!' she replied indignantly.

'Sorry, you just don't look like an elf.' He looked around at the sick and realised that none of them really looked how he expected.

'You mean short and dressed in pointy shoes with bells?'

'I guess so. First time meeting elves,' he explained by way of an apology. 'Sorry.'

'No, I should be sorry. Snapping at you like that.' She heaved a sigh. 'I don't know what's going on, only that it's getting worse.' For the first time Owen noticed her accent, heavy and northern, Yorkshire at a guess, even though that didn't make any sense.

'This is all of them?'

'Not by a long way. The infirmary was only ever designed to house about a half dozen patients. We've got nearly seventy in this room and four others. A lot are too sick to make it here. The rest know we don't have the space. They're staying at home, doing what they can for family members.'

'So not everyone is sick yet?'

She continued to answer his questions as she moved about the room from patient to patient. He followed her, observing what he could.

'Estimates put the sick at nearly ninety percent of the population. With the rate of infection, it's only a matter of time before the remainder are affected.'

'And you're a trained medic here?' He tried not to make it sound patronising.

'Our resident doctor is in a bad way. He got sick three days ago. I know basic elf physiognomy, but I'm no expert. Please tell me you can help.'

'I'll do my best.'

She smiled briefly and he realised it was the first time he'd seen it. She was cute when she smiled.

'Let's start with Jessie. According to Santa, she's patient zero and maybe she can give us some clues about what we're dealing with.'

'This way,' she said.

* * *

Gwen and Rhys followed Santa down to a large office space. It seemed to be the one room in the whole place so far that actually had decorations hung. It was indeed the Christmas cavern she'd expected the whole place to look like.

'Eh, now this is more like it,' Rhys commented.

'Welcome to my office,' Santa declared.

'Nice to see a bit of tinsel and tree,' Gwen replied approvingly.

Santa chuckled. 'The elves think I'm mad keeping all this stuff about. "Don't you get enough of this in every house all year round?" They say. Well, the younger ones in any case. They don't remember the old days like some of us. Christmas spirit might be all around here, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to be reminded.'

A sudden flutter of paper came rushing through a small flap in the wall near Santa's very large desk. It caused both Gwen and Rhys to jump in alarm.

'Oh, don't worry about that. Just some more letters coming through at the last minute, probably west coast USA and Hawaii.'

'Bit late for that isn't it?' asked Rhys. 'I mean, factory's not working and the rift's good and all, but it's not like you've got time to read them now, is it?'

Santa smiled knowingly. 'Optical character recognition and automatic spellchecker. All the letters computerised and catalogued, and the requests inputted for manufacture. Computers! Sometimes I wonder how we ever managed things before them!'

'I think I figured out what I want for Christmas,' Rhys observed. 'That'd make processing delivery dockets a hell of a lot easier!'

'Ah yes, I forgot you worked in logistics.'

'Eh?'

'Harwoods isn't it?' he asked, floating away towards his desk, leaving Rhys staring dumbfounded at Gwen.

'Bloody hell, he really does know everything Gwen,' Rhys hissed.

Gwen had to admit, even she was mightily impressed.

'The lists are in a bit of a mess, I have to admit,' Santa said despondently.

'Why's that?'

'Well with everything that's been going on, they haven't all been checked twice yet.'

'Well I'm sure we can help sort things out, can't we Rhys?' Gwen was doing that innocent smiling thing she did when she knew you were going to dig your heels in.

'Yeah, yeah,' Rhys stuttered, having just been dragged into the task.

'Most of Asia and Europe are done. We've still got most of the British Isles and all of the Americas to go.'

'Oh boy.'

'Anyway, it's all there in the main database. All the lists have been processed initially, but we always review the naughty list twice and make sure any recent behaviour is taken into account. Kids are always much better behaved in the lead up to Christmas and it would be a shame for one of them to miss out when they've made a genuine effort to be good. All you need to do is click here to approve them for the nice list, or here to verify them for the naughty list.'

'Okay, well we'll split them up between us. Get through them twice as fast.'

'Can I leave you two here on your own? I've got to get down to dispatch and help get Jack set up. If we don't get cracking on delivering what gifts we already have, it won't matter how much of the lists we review.'

'We'll be fine,' Gwen assured him. 'We've got our comms if we get stuck.'

'Excellent. Once you've got the lists approved, they'll be notified to Brady and final dispatch orders issued. If you can head down to dispatch afterwards, you can help with sorting and loading gifts.'

'How's that work, then? asked Rhys.

'Once the gifts pass through the main factory, they're boxed, wrapped, tagged and logged in the system as completed.'

'How do you know if you're giving the right gifts to the right house?'

'I'm Santa! I know every child in every house, and every gift.'

Just before Rhys was about to pull a contrite looking face, Santa interrupted him.

'But, each gift is wrapped with a tiny GPS chip embedded. If any gift's location doesn't match the GPS signal, base camp will get an alert. The last thing anyone wants is to get the wrong gift on Christmas morning.'

'I had no idea Christmas was so complicated,' said Gwen.

'Not complicated, just well organised. Brady's been doing this for so many years now that I think he secretly thinks he's in charge. I humour him though. To be perfectly honest, these days I'd probably be lost without him. With so much to do and organise, it's nice to have someone you can count on. And all the other elves of course. Funny to think that once upon a time it was just me, hand carving a few knick knacks for the local villagers. Anyway, enough chit chat, I need to be off. Good luck!'

The two of them watched as the large man shuffled back out of the office.

'You and me, Rhys. Team Torchwood out to save Christmas.'

'That's one for the scrapbook.'

* * *

Tosh knew she'd like Fletcher from the moment she laid eyes on him. There was something familiar and identifiable about watching a fellow computer geek tearing their hair out because whatever was meant to be working clearly wasn't. It was a frustration she'd felt plenty of times before.

His wayward ginger hair stuck out at angles from underneath his peaked cap as he tapped madly at the keyboard, then turned over to one of the machines and pressed a button. It whirred and cranked then out issued a tiny tag doll with plaited green hair.

'Argh! Why won't you work? Please!'

Tosh quietly cleared her throat. Fletcher spun around, startled by the sudden interruption. He hadn't noticed her standing there for the past five minutes.

'Oh, hello. Um, don't mind me. Everything's under control.'

'I think Santa would disagree,' she said jokingly.

'You're probably right.' He sighed and pulled off his cap, more wild hair freed from its confines. 'Sally's meant to be a red head.'

Tosh picked up the rag doll and gently ran her hand over the soft green woolen pigtails, just like she used to do with her dolls when she was a little girl.

'I quite like the green,' she said, trying to make him feel better.

'You got a thing against redheads?'

'No,' she quickly responded.

Fletcher laughed. 'Just kidding! I'm Fletcher.'

'Toshiko, but everyone calls me Tosh.'

'Lovely name. You should keep it. Do you know anything about computers and machines Toshiko?'

'A bit,' Tosh conceded.

'Good, because I thought I knew computers back to front, but these machines have got me baffled. Umberto was our whizz mechanic but he's sick. The whole production line seems to have jammed up somehow and until I can get the programming working again, it's preventing all the other toys from being made.'

'You don't make them by hand?'

Fletcher laughed and pulled his peak cap firmly back on his head.

'Back in the old days, but seven billion people? It would take four pole years to make that many by hand.'

'Victims of industry,' Tosh observed.

'Don't worry, they're all still elf made. Here,' he drew her over to a nearby desk and extracted a toy from the small cupboard underneath. It was a wooden train set. It was exquisite. It looked hand carved and painted, detailed right down to the individual faces of passengers filling it's carriages.

'It's beautiful. Your machines made this?'

'Quality control sample. This is one that didn't make the grade.'

'Wow, you have really high standards!'

It has to be as good as if it were made by hand. Sometimes machines break down, so elves just pick up the slack and start making by hand again. That said, the machinery is never down for more than an hours or two, or sometimes a day if it's for scheduled maintenance. But now that everyone is sick, there's no one to make toys. So you can see why getting the machines back online is vital. We're still short about thirty percent of the toys we need to deliver this evening. If children woke up on Christmas morning and didn't have any toys under the tree, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.'

'Then we'd better get to work!'

* * *

It was true that Jack had flown many things in his lifetime, but a sleigh lead by reindeer was not one of them. The first thing that struck him was just how incredibly large the reindeer were. They towered over Jack's six foot two frame and their antlers stood tall and angular, and as thick as his forearm. He didn't fancy being on the receiving end should one of them decide to take a dislike to him.

'I'm giving you Prancer, Vixen and Cupid. They're the most placid and shouldn't give you any trouble.'

'I though you said we had to go halves. Who's the fourth?'

'Blitzen. He's a bit fiesty but he's the best navigator, and I think you'll need him. But you're going to have to win him over before he'll let you pilot the sleigh.'

'Never met anyone I couldn't charm,' Jack stated casually.

'Reach out your hand and let him smell you.'

Jack was glad the others weren't here to witness his trepidation. He hoped that his 51st century pheromones worked as well on reindeer as they did humans. He stretched out his arm towards the large creature. Blitzen huffed angrily and bowed his head, forcing his lethal antlers forward in a threatening way.

'Back up a bit,' Santa warned.

Jack quickly jumped out of striking distance. This was not going as well as he'd planned.

'Do you want to ruin Christmas for everyone?' Santa chastised. 'Jack's here to help us save Christmas.'

The reindeer appeared to looked contrite, or as much as was possible for reindeer.

'Try again,' Santa instructed

Jack raised his eyebrows. 'You sure?'

Jack reluctantly put forth his hand again. Blitzen looked about to bite it off, then pulled back and nudged his nose against Jack's outstretched palm.

The sensation was surprising. What had looked like soft downy fur on his nose was actually quiet thick and bristle like. Jack chanced running his hand up and down the bridge of his nose and was relieved when Blitzen obliged him.

'He's a good boy really,' said Santa, running a hand up Blitzen's neck and scratching behind his ear. He almost purred in delight at the motion.

He instructed Jack carefully on harnessing the reindeer to the sleigh. He got the hang of it after the first two, hooking up Cupid and Prancer. Even Blitzen was harnessed with minimum fuss. 'I think he's coming around,' Jack said, reaching up to scratch his ear and nearly getting gouged in the process. 'Or not,' he backtracked.

'He's just showing off for Vixen. It wouldn't do to make a fuss in front of the lady. He has quite a thing for her.'

'You dog,' joked Jack.

Blitzen made a gesture that seemed to indicate he understood Jack.

'Ready for your first flight?'

Jack got that determined glint in his eye. 'Let's do this.'


	3. Chapter 3

To say Ianto was impressed was an understatement. Everywhere he looked were the clean lines of modern corporatism. No doubt about it, this was a well oiled machine. If he could have kept the hub in this kind of state, he'd have been a very happy individual.

Brady was giving him the tour of the packing and logistics areas, as much as it was possible given the quarantine restrictions in place. Ianto tried to imagine how different it would look with hundreds of elves bustling about though the complicated network of rooms and machinery.

Brady himself was just as Jack had pointed out earlier. He appeared to be the sort of well organised, no nonsense type. Ianto suddenly felt underdressed and under qualified in his presence.

'What's your area of expertise? Brady quizzed him, as if sensing his thoughts.

'Oh, well, nothing specific I suppose, I just sort of keep everyone organised. You know, paperwork, supplies, food and drink, dry cleaning.' When he said it out loud it really didn't sound very impressive. Torchwood's overpaid butler, he thought.

'You're an administrator. Operations manager.' Brady supplied.

'I guess you could call it that, slightly boosted by the apparent promotion.'

'Good. We'll be needing your skills.'

Ianto felt relieved to have passed muster. Brady wasn't cold or officious, he was just very focused on the task at hand. And given the circumstances, he probably had every right to be.

Despite the absence of people, and the overall appearance of the factory, the place felt unusually homely. It was like being tucked up in a warm blanket, happy and safe.

'It doesn't look at all Christmassy, but it still feels sort of,' he tried to search for the words to explain it.

'Warm and fuzzy?' Brady offered, looking up from his tablet which he'd been studying just moments before.

'Yeah.'

'It's this place. There's a shared empathy throughout the whole town. Call it Christmas spirit. Everyone is connected at a certain psychic level. It's usually much stronger, but with everyone being sick...' he fixed Ianto with a look over the top of his glasses. 'I'm surprised you could feel it all.'

'It's definitely there,' Ianto confirmed, 'but I know what you mean about it feeling weak.'

Brady scrutinised the young man for a moment.

'Maybe you're more empathic than your friends. You sense it more keenly than they do.'

'It's possible,' he conceded. The team were always joking about how he seemed to know what they wanted even before they did. Maybe that was the reason why. He didn't get a chance to ponder it further.

'Well, that's covered the basics. If we ever get the workshop up and running again,' he added glumly, staring through the large glass window that looked out over the deserted factory floor many feet below them.

'Tosh will fix it,' he said reassuringly.

Brady's mood seemed to lift a little. 'In that case we should get moving to the main control room. We don't have a full load, but Santa and Jack still have presents to deliver and they won't get far without us.'

* * *

As soon as Tosh looked at the computer code running across the screen, she knew she was in for a big job. It took her a few minutes to understand what it was she was seeing.

'Hang on, is this quantum binary? I didn't even think this was possible! It looks like you've used base eight math to run the code.'

'Oh, sorry, I forget that you use base ten math on Earth.'

'You mean you're not from Earth?'

'We're elves! Of course we're not from Earth!'

'You fell through the rift?'

'No, well, yes, we came through the rift, but you make it sound like an accident. This was a planned trip. An outpost to conduct research. Just a few hundred elves. Each group sent across the galaxy to gather information on other worlds.'

He began rummaging through a toolbox, producing a spanner.

'And how did you get into the Christmas business?'

'Now that's a story!' he exclaimed, pointing the large metal tool at her, before proceeding over to one of the machines and opening up a panel on its side at the bottom.

'A couple of elves got lost in a snowstorm, coming back from a day out researching that native fauna. Reindeer really are fascinating creatures,' he said, lying down next to the panel and unscrewing several bolts with the spanner, continuing his story.

'Anyway, they were trying to find their way back to the trail when they heard this tinkling of bells and a faint light approached them. Normally they would have shied away from any sort of contact, but given that they were lost and likely to freeze to death in the storm, they took a chance and waited to intercept. It was an old man on a rough wooden sled. He introduced himself as Nicolaus. He said he had travelled miles from his tiny hut on the edge of the tundra to deliver gifts to the village children, and that he did this every year on this particular night. Christmas Eve he called it.

Well, he offered for the elves to accompany him on his way to the village, where they would be assured warmth, food and lodgings until the storm had passed.

The village was only small, maybe a dozen or so families, but they were so happy to see Nicolaus and the children were so excited to receive gifts, tiny little hand carved toys made from local forest wood, dolls with faces painted on them, or figurines of deer and hunters. And they sat around the fireplace in this one large hall and sang songs and shared a great meal. Well the elves were beyond amazed. They'd studied all of the flora and fauna but had never met any humans. So fascinated were they and so much did they love the celebration that took place that night, that when Nicolaus returned them to their trail in the morning, they offered for him to come back with them. They said that such a kind hearted soul should not live on his own, and that he could stay with them and make his toys, whilst he taught them all about human earth customs.

Well, one thing lead to another, and soon all of the elves were interested in helping to make toys to be given to children and so began the legend of the North Pole.'

'So Santa is human?'

'He is, but he was given the gift of long life by the elves. Elves can live for many hundreds of your Earth years. In fact, only a few dozen of the original expedition colony have passed. Most still continue to work here in the city.'

'How old are you, if you don't mind my asking'

'Two hundred and seventeen.'

'You don't look a day over twenty!'

'Thanks, it's the red hair. Everyone says I look young for my age.'

'Okay, so this program,' Tosh said, turning back to the computer monitor. 'You say it's not working?'

Fletcher stopped and sat up from what he was doing, several nuts and bolts, circuitry and odd pieces of wire now littered about the floor around him.

'It doesn't make sense. The programming hasn't changed, but for some reason the system keeps crashing every time I try to integrate it with the factory mainframe. I'm starting to wonder if it's an issue with the mainframe itself.'

'What's its purpose?'

'This system,' he said, picking up on of the bits of wire and examining it more closely, 'is responsible for instructing the mainframe on what toys to create. There's an algorithm running in the background that calculates the total number of toys required based on each child's wish list, factoring in a two percent margin for changes of mind, then it calculates the total remaining resources based on current operating capacities to determine the most efficient use of materials and manufacturing order for the machines to operate on. When new shipments of raw materials come in, the computer recalibrates manufacturing quantities and models projected material orders based on wish list quotas.'

'It sounds very impressive. The mathematics required to create it must have taken a genius.'

Fletcher blushed and shoved his hands in his large overall pockets. 'It was my older brother Syd that designed it. He's in the hospital sick.'

'You should be there with him,' Tosh said.

'I know, but Santa thinks it might be contagious. If I can't fix this, Christmas will be cancelled this year.' He ran a hand through his thick red hair and sighed. 'Syd would know how to fix this in a heartbeat. He always was the clever one.'

Tosh reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder.

'You seem pretty clever to me. What's say we make your brother proud and get this back up and running?'

* * *

The room containing Jessie was isolated from the rest. She was fortunate not to have dozens of other elves piled in with her like the other rooms, but perhaps that was only a matter of time.

She was young, and looked younger still tucked up in the hospital bed, her soft blonde hair floating about her face and on the pillow underneath.

'She's been quarantined since we started getting reports of other elves with the same condition. We didn't want to make her worse, or have her spreading it to other elves.'

Owen cast a glance at Sandy, noticing that she herself had not taken any additional quarantine measures, even though he had come armed with a face mask. Santa might not have been sick but Owen was experienced enough not to take chances.

'You should get yourself a mask.'

'I think it's a bit late for that,' she replied. 'I've been working with the sick for three days now. If I was going to get it, I'd have it already.'

Owen ran some preliminary checks, but his difficulty lay in not knowing what was normal for elf. 'Do you know much about human physiognomy? How different elves are?'

'Only what I've read from the old research logs, but it would appear that we are indeed similar in many respects.'

'If that's true, then pulse, breathing and blood pressure all appear to be within normal ranges.'

Sandy took her own measurements. 'I agree.'

'Pupils are blown,' Owen observed. 'How long has she been in a coma?'

'Since the afternoon of two days ago. We moved her here so as not to panic any of the other elves, but some of them are very sick and I'm worried that the same might happen to them.'

'Okay, let's start by running her blood work. Perhaps we should take a sample from you for comparative purposes, since you're still healthy. It'll give me something to work with.'

Sandy looked hesitant for a moment. 'I've got some samples in the lab you can use. Osman, our doctor was keeping them.'

'Okay, let's start there.'

* * *

Jack was just helping load the final few gifts into the sleigh. It was their very first delivery of the night and he was more than a little excited at the prospect. Though as far as the packing was concerned, he'd be glad for Rhys taking over this task soon. Packing and checking things off against lists was not his forte. It required a level of care and attention that he wasn't built for. It wasn't to say he couldn't do it, it just wasn't his cup of tea. Gung ho and seat of your pants was much more his style. Tonight though, even though he was leader of Torchwood, Santa was the boss and he was calling the shots. That left Jack with just one burning question.

'So, do I get a suit like yours?'

'What for?'

Jack was taken aback slightly. 'I just thought, you know, since as I'm delivering gifts, won't it look a bit odd being dressed as me?'

'I don't see why. Everyone's asleep remember. You could be wearing anything.'

'Or nothing,' Jack joked. Santa fixed him with a worried look.

'Kidding!' Jack quickly covered. 'Ianto is really rather more suited to red, anyway. And you're sure they'll all be asleep?'

'The sleigh gives off delta wave radiation. Keeps people nice and sleepy. It's not foolproof, but it does the job ninety nine percent of the time.'

'And I won't fall asleep at the wheel?'

'No,' Santa chuckled.

'More of the Christmas magic?' Jack asked.

'A man's got to be able to keep a few secrets,' he replied.

* * *

Gwen was getting tired eyes from staring at the screen. It was like being back on the police force running checks on suspects criminal history, and equally as colourful in some cases. In fact, the system was almost identical to their own database, showing photos, age, location and prior behaviour.

'Andy would love this,' she commented. 'He used to get a kick out of reading how many times you could arrest someone before they actually got locked up proper.'

'Andy needs to get a life,' Rhys replied.

'This boy, honest to God, has done more naughty things in the last year than half the teenagers in Cardiff put together.'

'Naughty list then?'

'Definitely. Although it still seems a bit cruel don't you think, not to get any presents?'

'I'm sure his parents will still buy him something, though.'

'I suppose,' she mused.

'Give us a look,' said Rhys.

Rhys read down the file. 'Hey, he only lives a few doors down from us, Gwennie.'

Rhys read further, 'yanked his sister's pigtails every day for two weeks, left chewing gum under the teachers desk, talked back to his mum, and sprayed shaving cream on a neighbours car. Wait hang on, that was my car! That sneaky little bugger put shaving cream on my car!'

Watching Rhys get flustered was almost always amusing and Gwen couldn't help but giggle at yet another mini tirade from her husband while he espoused all of the things he'd do when he got his hands on him.

'It's not funny, Gwen!' Rhys turned to her seriously. 'Two hundred quid it cost to get the paintwork fixed. And it was practically new! That's was our deposit for the holiday to Spain.'

'So no gifts for Gavin, then?'

'He'll be getting a bloody gift from me when we get back, I can tell you!'

* * *

'So once we get this working, then what happens?' Tosh asked.

'Once the program delivers instructions to the mainframe, it can build the toys. All the designs and material quantities are contained in the main system databanks. In other words, we can make toys, if only we know which ones. Without the main program up and running, we're stuck. Then there's the machinery problems themselves. As you saw earlier, when I ran a test, something was going haywire with the mechanics. The designs are correct, but the machine is using the wrong materials.'

'Like a misfeed?'

'In simple terms. It's a bit more complicated than that.'

'Okay, so first things first. Let's try and get the programming here working.'

She began tapping away at the keys on the keyboard like she'd known the system all her life. In fact, this was one of the most comprehensively unusual systems she'd ever seen, but at the end of the day, she reasoned that a line of command should execute itself the same way every time.

Fletcher watched her with fascination. He'd watched his brother wearing the same expression hundreds of times, as if they were talking a language he didn't understand. That wasn't true of course, he knew computers very well, but he'd never had the passion for it the way his brother did, and the way Toshiko did. To him, it was just something that he could make work and nothing more. There was nothing exciting about bits and bytes, it was the end result that Fletcher was proud of, watching endless waves of toys issuing off the factory floor into large crates, each perfect and identical to the last.

'What are you doing?' he asked.

'I'm setting up a program that should replicate the mainframe functionality. That way we can test the commands to see if we can get them working, without having to first fix the mechanical issues with the equipment. If we can isolate the integration problems, we can figure out a workaround for it.'

Fletcher had to admire the simplicity of the concept.

'Are you sure you're not an elf?' he asked.


	4. Chapter 4

Owen was grateful he'd had the good sense to bring the laptop with him, and the good fortune to be able to still connect to the Torchwood servers back in Wales. Wherever in the world they were, at least they got good WiFi. Hopefully the database could find something useful based on the tests he was running.

Sandy had been running ragged trying to keep all of the patients cared for whilst Owen was busy running tests. When she eventually returned, she looked dead on her feet.

'Why don't you take a breather?' he offered.

'And who's going to look after this lot? As it is I've got a few of the milder cases trying to pitch in, but what they need is rest.'

'But so do you. Doctor's orders.'

She smiled and sank into a nearby chair.

'I never asked you, but Sandy, isn't that a bit similar to Santa?'

'Not as much as Sandra. That's why I changed it. It got too confusing. Someone says, "have you got that report ready for Santa?", and next thing I know someone is madly rushing up to me with a report in their hand.'

'Fair point,' Owen conceded.

'How are things going here?'

'Nothing yet. Well, not nothing, just nothing I can identify. It's some sort of virus and based on what I'm seeing, it looks airborne.'

'That makes sense given how quickly it's spread.'

'It's also progressing in some case like Jessie, causing swelling around the brain. What medical supplies do you have here?'

'Er,' she looked around awkwardly. 'Not much. Elves just don't really get sick.' She began rummaging through the cupboards in the lab. 'We've got these. Just basic pain relief, and even those are used sparingly.'

Owen squinted at the tiny white tablets.

'Any idea of their chemical composition?'

'Sorry, really not my area of expertise.'

'S'okay,' he took one and crushed it on the counter, taking a small amount of the powder for analysis. His computer quickly returned a result.

'Aspirin. Or close to.'

'Will that work?'

'Unlikely. Might relieve some of the symptoms but it won't cure much.'

'What do we do then?'

'We need to know more about the virus itself and where it came from. We need to start asking patients where they were before they got sick.'

* * *

Tosh had run several dozen iterations of the program, analysing each line of code as it executed, and trying to understand what subroutines were firing each time the program executed. Each time they ran the simulation, the program would produce a three dimensional image of the toy in question and Fletcher would inspect it against the design matrix.

'Still no good. This teddy only has one eye.'

'And you say the coding hasn't been altered?'

'Not that I'm aware of but Syd is such a perfectionist. It's possible he was trying to tweak the code before he got sick.'

'Alright, let's try running it line by line.'

She tapped a few more instructions onto the screen and executed the program again. This time, each line ran across the screen one by one, not actioning itself until Tosh gave it the okay. Surprisingly, she'd quickly gotten the hang of the binary coding they were using, and was already coming up with ideas for using it to modify the hub's most critical and complex systems.

'Stop,' instructed Fletcher. 'There, what's that?'

* * *

Rhys had thought the task of going through the lists would be boring. Instead he found himself completely sucked in by all the naughty kid profiles. It was like some sort of bizarre Jeremy Kyle for kids. He could just see it now.

'Eh, look at this,' he said, pointing at the screen, 'there's even one for Banana Boat! Thought they were only for kids. Well, he is a bit of a big kid, I suppose.'

'And what does it say?' Gwen asked distractedly, too tired from reviewing all the other files to care much, as she leaned her elbow on the desk in front of her.

Rhys gleefully began reading through the file.

'Oh,'

'What is it?' Gwen asked, now mildly curious.

'Er, nothing,' Rhys quickly covered, 'let's just say I don't think Banana qualifies for the nice list this year.'

'Why am I not surprised?'

* * *

The lists room.

It kept coming up as they worked their way around the room, trying to identify any commonalities between patients.

'I work in the lists room.'

'My brother got sick first. He works in the lists room.'

'Kristoff always delivers lunch to the design room and the lists room.'

'I think we can confirm where this all started,' said Owen.

'Jessie worked in the lists room as well,' Sandy added.

'Either there's something in there causing this or Jessie brought it in with her. I'm going down there to have a look around.'

'I'm coming with you!' she said chasing after him down the hall.

'And if there's something contagious down there?'

'I can take care of myself,' she replied determinedly.

'Fine,' Owen conceded, 'but you're taking basic medical precautions. That means a mask and gloves.'

'Okay.'

* * *

The lists room looked like the call centre Owen had worked in when he was studying at uni. Just a large space with rows of desks and computer consoles. There was no marble or mahogany here, just plain office interior. Around the room were dotted little signs with catchphrases like "naughty is relative", "everyone deserves a second chance" and "intention matters most".

'Added motivation?' Owen asked, pointing up at one of the signs.

'It takes a certain kind of elf to work the lists room,' she said, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. 'They see the very best and the very worst of what people are capable of. That sort of thing can wear you down if you're not upbeat and positive.'

'So much for the idea that you're all happy and dancing around the place.'

'I've seen some of the films where you depict elves that way. But I've also seen your news. All the wars and the hatred, the pollution and the sickness.'

'It's not all bad,' Owen clarified.

'I know. But you ask me how do we stay positive in a world full of that? No amount of Christmas spirit seems able to cure it.'

'We do what we can, even when it doesn't feel like it's worth saving, because it is.'

'And Jack is your Santa? Full, of the good spirit that keeps you all going?'

'He's full of something,' Owen quipped and he was pleased to hear her tinkling laugh. It was a first, and given the situation, it was refreshing to hear.

They wandered about until they found what they were looking for.

On Jessie's desk sat a single personal detail. A small wooden reindeer. Not carved intricately or with any defining details, but merely shaped sufficiently to discern it's form.

Sandy picked it up with a gloved hand.

'That's a Santa original,' she explained. 'One of the first carvings made for the village children. It must have been passed down to her by an elder. It's beautiful and rare.'

Owen drifted around the room with his PDA, taking readings of the air in the room.

'Low levels of airborne contagions in here, no higher than those in the infirmary.'

'Well, that kills that theory.' Sandy pulled off her mask and gloves in response. Owen gave her a disapproving scowl but she chose to ignore it.

'Alright. Let's head back upstairs then. If we can't find the source maybe we can starting trying some antigens and see what effect they have on the virus.'

'Okay.' Before she left the room, she pocketed the tiny reindeer. They were meant to bring good luck and she got the feeling she'd be needing some.

* * *

Tosh pushed her glasses further up on to her nose and peered closer at the screen, inspecting the line of code. 'It's retriving the index from one of the mainframe directories.'

Fletcher leaned over her and studied it as well. 'No, but it isn't! That directory mapping is wrong. Those refer to legacy systems we don't operate anymore. Why would Syd have changed the code to access archived system logs?'

'I don't know. What's different about the legacy system logs?'

'The old systems were inefficient. The arrays weren't built for the volume of data required to produce that many design permutations. That's why we changed them.'

'So why change them back? He must have known something we don't. What would happen if you updated the mapping back to the new systems?'

'Let's see.'

Tosh stepped back from the console and allowed Fletcher to update the coding. She looked around at the enormous factory floor and tried to imagine it in full flight.

'Can I ask you, are there ever any elves that don't want to work for Santa? I mean, it wasn't why you came here originally. Do some ever want to go home or do something else?'

Fletcher fixed her with a look that suggested he'd never considered the question. 'Christmas spirit connects us all. I never met an elf who didn't love doing what they do. Every elf is unique and has their own skills, but everyone can help spread the joy of Christmas to the world. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't be satisfied and fulfilled doing that. Don't you enjoy your job?'

'Sure,' Tosh said, 'I mean, the hours are a bit rubbish and there's no such thing as a weekend, sometimes it's filthy or exhausting or scary, but I wouldn't give it up for anything. I guess when you put it that way, it's the good that outweighs the bad and that's what keeps you going.'

'I think they would be very lucky to have you.'

'Thanks,' she blushed.

'Okay, let's try this again,' said Fletcher, 'the new code is inserted.' He hit the button and the lines of programming danced across the screen. He held his breath as the system tried to parse the new instructions, waiting for it to crash at the first line of updated coding. When the screen continued rolling, he almost couldn't believe it.

'It looks like it's working!' he exclaimed, then just as he said the words, the program crashed.

'I don't understand it! The new mapping was working. Why did it fall over now?'

'Can you run a diagnostic?'

Fletcher entered the commands and several graphs appeared on screen.

'Look at that,' Tosh said, pointing to a large green spike on the screen. 'The mainframe is trying to draw three times as much power as it can cope with. Not only is it causing the program to fail, it's overloading the mainframe systems, causing short circuitng.'

'That's why the circuitry I examined was burnt out,' he surmised. 'So the next question is what's causing it to draw so much power?'

'You said Syd changed the programming to map to the old system logs.'

'At a guess, but why? They're so old and slow.'

'Perhaps he was trying to compensate for the power consumption. Slow down the commands and reduce the energy requirements.'

'Toshiko you're a genius. Of course! The mapping code wasn't complete. He started trying to fix it but never finished it.'

'Can you reset the code to the old systems?'

Fletcher grinned madly at her. 'Does Santa wear a red hat?'

* * *

The main control room was like something out of a documentary about Nasa. There were banks and rows of computers and screens, maps and buttons and dials and blinking lights.

'Wow.'

'Welcome to Base Camp.'

Nearby a screen flickered into life and Ianto could see Santa's image projected onto it, larger than life.

'Brady, are you there?'

Brady walked over, bending down to pick up a headset and activate it.

'Base Camp receiving,' he announced.

'Excellent. We're just about ready to launch.'

In the background, he could see Jack and the two sleighs, loaded up with gifts.

'Just finalising the rift modelling and uploading it now.'

Santa had explained to Jack that the reindeer were pretty good at knowing where to go, but that despite detailed modeling and prediction programs, the rift could still send you somewhere a bit off the beaten path. As a backup all of the mapping and directions information would be fed directly to them from the main control room and they'd be in constant contact with Brady and Ianto.

Brady handed a second headset to Ianto. 'You'll be monitoring Jack's route. This will provide you with direct communication and should also work with your teammates comms if necessary.'

Ianto took the proferred headset and slipped it expertly on.

'Jack?'

'Ianto? That you?'

'Yup. Navigator as usual.'

'Glad to have you aboard.'

'All set for your big gift giving debut?'

'Actually, I was thinking I should have a call sign. You know, something like Kris Kringle, or Sleigh Force One,'

'Or FedEx.'

'Very funny.'

'What about Jack Frost?'

'Ooh, I like that one. Put it on the short list.'

'Ahem,' coughed Brady. They both stopped awkwardly. Jack could see the stern look on Brady's face from the monitor. 'If you're both ready?'

'Yup,' they both quickly agreed.

* * *

Jack sat in the front of the sleigh and grasped the worn leather reins. He'd just watched Santa take off and slip out of sight into the night sky. He made it look easy.

'Okay guys, time to save Christmas.' Three reindeer clicked and shook their heads in an affirmative way. Blitzen grumbled something akin to acquiescence.

'Well I guess that's the pre flight checks done.' He snapped the reins and the sleigh took off wildly, hurtling along the snowy street before heaving into the air.

Jack pulled left on the reins, attempting a flyover the city. Instead Blitzen hauled sharply right, nearly tumbling Jack right out of his seat.

'Okay, okay, you're in charge then!' Jack conceded, slackening his grip on the straps.

'Jack? You okay?' came Ianto's voice.

'Fine! Just a little power struggle!'

'The rift is about one mile north of your position. Rift predictor says you should fly through in the next sixty seconds and you'll be just over England.'

'Roger that. It'll be nice not having to pay the toll for once.'

'You heard the man!' Jack ordered. 'England, full steam ahead!'

The reindeer charged forward and Jack felt the rush of excitement raging through his body as the sleigh sped through the rift.


	5. Chapter 5

'Mistletoe calling Rudolph. Come in Rudolph.'

Ianto tapped the comms unit on.

'Rudolph reading you loud and clear.'

He'd reluctantly agreed to the name after having kiboshed candy cane, it being just a little too close to the term of endearment John Hart used to call him. He'd also rejected bonbon, nutcracker and sugar plums, all of which Jack found terribly amusing. Rudolph had ended up being the least offensive and embarrassing compromise he could make.

'Approaching over Surry now. Preparing for landing.'

'Roger that. Be careful.'

'Mistletoe out.'

* * *

Tosh had run several simulations with the new coding and each had turned out a perfectly completed toy.

'I think we did it!'

'I think you're right. What's say we try the real thing?'

Tosh disengaged her simulator mainframe program and reintegrated the design software to the mainframe systems.

Fletcher wandered back over to the main panel he'd been working on earlier and refitted the brand new cabling, replacing the pieces that had burnt out. He left the panel open in case any adjustments were needed.

'Ready?'

'Ready.'

Tosh flipped the switch and the factory engines began to turn over. On her screen the main interface for the design systems came online and began issuing instructions to the mainframe. Just as she was about to whoop with joy the systems ground to a halt.

'Hang on,' said Fletcher, 'let me take another look.'

He slid underneath a nearby console and unscrewed the panel, inspecting it and reaching in to grab some of the cable connectors.

Fletcher yelped as the machine suddenly sparked near his hand, causing him to jump and hit his head on the underside of the console.

'Ow!'

Lights on the panel above flickered aglow, and the whole floor of the factory began to whir into life.

'You did it!' cried Tosh.

'All it took was a serious concussion. If I'd known that I'd have hit it with a mallet ages ago.'

'Trust me, you'd be amazed how often that works! There was this one time at the hub. Jack was mucking around with something that caused a massive power surge that caused all the cell door locks to disengage. Only problem was Suzie and I were down there at the time. Two of the weevils got loose and we had to make a run for it. We managed to get to the main door but couldn't get it to shut. There were two of them and two of us, but they were so much stronger. Suzie was pushing hard against the door, trying to keep them in while I was fixing the lock mechanism. Just when I thought we were about to be overrun and torn to shreds, you know what Suzie does? She takes off her shoe and hits the panel as hard as she can and somehow the lock comes back online!'

'It sounds like you were very brave. I don't think I could ever do that.'

'I don't think brave came into it. Amazing what you can do when your life depends on it.'

'And I guess Jack learned his lesson not to mess around with things?'

'No, he still does that all the time, we're just better prepared for it now. I always keep a pair of shoes handy.'

They both laughed.

'Can I ask something else?'

'Sure.'

'What's a weevil?'

* * *

Jack's sleigh glided easily through the brisk night air and over the tiny rooftops that clustered below. Without being instructed on what to do, the reindeer expertly turned and landed easily onto the snow clad slate tiles.

'Okay,' said Jack, jumping out of the sleigh, 'Operation KK is a go.' He grabbed the sack from the back of the sleigh and stopped, looking around him.

'Ianto? You there?'

'I thought we were using code names?' came the reply.

'You're my expert on all things Christmas right?'

'Yeah,' Ianto replied slowly.

'Okay, so answer me this. Now that I'm here, how do I get in?'

'Chimney?' Ianto suggested.

'No chimney. And even if there were, I don't think I'd fit.'

'And I'd hate to think about the state your coat would be in afterwards.'

'Any other ideas?'

'Door? Window?'

'Maybe if I wasn't on the roof. Plus breaking and entering might be okay for Torchwood, but it just seems wrong for Christmas.'

'Erm,' Ianto looked around. 'Brady?'

Brady looked back at him blankly. It was a new expression for the otherwise organised and knowledgeable elf.

'I'll be honest, that bit isn't in the play book. I actually have no idea how he does it.'

Brady turned in his seat and hit the comms button on his headset.

'Base Camp calling Santa. Come in Santa.'

'Santa receiving, Base camp. What's happening?'

'It's Jack. He doesn't know how to get in, and more importantly, neither do we.'

'Ah, so I have managed to keep something secret after all these years.'

'We bow to your eternal mystery, sir. But perhaps given the circumstances?'

'Yes, yes, quite. Can you put Jack on?'

'Patching you through now, sir.'

'Jack?'

'Santa?'

'Tap your nose.'

'Huh?'

'Tap your nose to get in.'

'Okay,' Jack said, raising his hand, 'but I don't see how-,'

Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself stood in the darkened living room next to a small tree adorned with tiny white lights.

'Cool. Some kind of teleport.'

'How did you know?'

'Done a lot of travelling in time and space, you get used to the feeling.'

'Well, if that's all, we both need to keep moving along.'

'Roger that, and thanks.'

* * *

As expected, Owen's imited cache of medical supplies in the lab didn't garner much headway on his samples of virus. He'd tried various combinations but whatever this virus was, it was altogether new and it was flourishing in its current environment. Owen tried starving it of basic things like light and oxygen and heat, but it seemed determined to survive.

'Anything?'

'These tissue samples really aren't quite the same as live blood. I've tried getting it to react with my blood but it just won't take. I thought maybe there was something in that, but I've tried isolating the red cells from the plasma and introducing it to elf tissues and whatever immunity I have doesn't transfer across. The virus doesn't seem to be affecting any of the team, which means it's restricted to elves for the moment. Perhaps you've got some sort of natural immunity. Something we can use. We should really get a look at your blood work.'

'And I keep telling you there's nothing special about my blood.'

Her hand was thrust deep into her pocket and she found herself reflexively gripping tightly to the small wooden carving still there. 'You'll just have to try something else. I've got patients that need looking after, if you'll excuse me.'

Owen was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to get so defensive. Perhaps it was the stress of the situation, but perhaps there was something else she wasn't telling him.

* * *

'Ow!' Jack exclaimed.

'What is it? And keep your voice down.'

'I think I just hit my head on the light fitting.'

'You should watch where you're going.'

'It's dark,' Jack replied sardonically. 'Besides, who hangs a light fitting that low?'

'I get the feeling you'll be navigating all sorts by the end of tonight. Should've bought you a torch for Christmas.'

'Har har. It's not so bad once your eyes have adjusted. Hey, what's this? "Dear Santa, just in case you get hungry." They left cookies!'

'You have to eat and drink some of what's left out.'

'Why?'

'If you don't then the kids will be upset that Santa didn't want their offering.'

'You know we never had Christmas on Boeshane. I get the tree and the gifts and the sleigh and the reindeer, but even after all these years, I'm still not across all of the finer points.'

'Then it's lucky you've got me, isn't it?'

'Ain't that the truth. You used to leave out cookies for Santa when you were a kid?'

'Mum always made Welsh cakes. And a bucket of water for the reindeer. Always just a few crumbs left in the morning and a half drunk glass of milk. All these years I thought dad must have done it.'

'When did you stop believing in Santa?'

'Eleven maybe? The year dad tripped over our cat in the middle of the night, trying to put the presents out in the dark and knocking over the tree. It woke both of us up, but I think Rhi was already too old to believe anymore. Dad was more annoyed that mum was livid about him nearly squashing the cat. And Cherie was rolling around on the floor playing with a bauble that fell off the tree, oblivious to all of it. It was pretty funny so I didn't mind so much that the secret was out.'

'I love that I still don't know a million things about you. Each new thing is like a gift.'

'You love trivial stuff?' he asked bemused.

'It's only trivial to you.'

'Did you have anything like Christmas where you grew up?'

'Not exactly. But we did have feast days.'

'Tell me about them some time?'

'There's not much to tell. It's all pretty trivial,' Jack said, leading Ianto's curiosity by the nose.

'It's only trivial to you,' he pointed out.

* * *

Gwen rapped her earpiece. 'Ianto. You there?'

'Yep.'

'How's it going?'

'Bit of a rocky start, but I think we're getting the hang of things.'

'And just how much is Jack loving being Santa's little helper?'

'You know, for someone who never bothered with Christmas before we came along, he's really rather more excited about this than is strictly healthy.'

Gwen laughed. 'Anything to be out saving the day, eh?'

'That's our Jack.'

'Anything at your end?'

'Lists are done. I'm heading down to help Owen investigate how this happened. Rhys is on his way to you to help with deliveries.'

'Thanks and good luck.'

* * *

At first Rhys felt completely overwhelmed by the task in front of him. This was just slightly larger than checking off the delivery dockets to the van manifests.

As he looked at the gigantic room full of conveyor belts and sorting rooms, he imagined this must be what it looked like if you worked for Asda, finally able to see all the products on offer, rather than just flicking through the catalogue. You didn't quite get the same buzz from seeing them all on a paper like you did in real life.

'It's all pretty straight forward,' explained Fletcher, 'the dispatch programme determines which gifts are required for each delivery location. All you need to do is specify the location.'

'How do I know what locations to specify?'

'It's all in the dispatch logs. Here, I'll show you.'

'That looks more like it,' Rhys said feeling more at home now. 'No different to managing deliveries for Harwoods. Okay, so,' he said consulting the screen, 'says here the next route is for Congleton, followed by Stoke on Trent. Right, let's type that in. Congleton.'

As soon as he hit the enter key the conveyors around him began to whir into action. Colourful rows of toys began to appear in long lines on beltways running up and down, left and right. They disappeared into large machines and came out the other side boxed and wrapped. Red ones, blue ones, stripey and spotted, large and small, square and round, wrapped in ribbons or adorned with bows. Footballs, doll houses, bicycles, teddy bears, all now mysteriously hidden beneath layers of shiny paper and neat little tags. Around and around the factory they rolled, until finally they dropped off the end of the final belt and into a large red velvet sack. Rhys watched as gift after gift dropped into the sack, dozens and dozens of them, and at an incredible pace. So much so that Rhys had completely lost count of just how many.

'Hang on,' Rhys said to Fletcher, 'there's no way all those gifts are going to fit in there. I mean, a whole town's worth. It'll take a month of Sundays to fill that many sacks.'

Fletcher smiled knowingly. 'Trans-dimensional circuitry wired into the sleigh and the sacks. They're bigger on the inside. Allows for maximum gift capacity,' he explained to Rhys.

'Doesn't that make it incredibly heavy?'

'Try lifting it,' Fletcher offered. 'That one looks like it's filled now.'

Rhys wasn't sure if Fletcher was taking the mick out of him, but decided he'd only look stupid if he didn't try, even if it meant he'd still look stupid trying to lift a sack with three tonnes worth of presents in it.

He grabbed the top and expected to pull against the enormous weight to no effect. Instead the sack lifted easily onto his shoulder.

'This trans directional thing changes the weight as well?'

'Trans dimensional,' Fletcher corrected. 'The gifts aren't really in the sack exactly. It acts as a gateway to another dimension where they're being stored. That's why the sack weighs so little.'

'Er, right.' Rhys knew when to shut up. Science was not his strong point and there was no use pretending otherwise.

'We should keep moving. There'll be twenty more sacks like this one that need to be ready before Santa gets back.'

'Leave it to me. Rhys Williams, haulage and logistics extraordinaire!'

* * *

'We're just about ready to head back for the next batch of gifts,' Jack reported.

'Right-o,' replied Ianto. 'Rhys has them ready to load when you get back.'

'No chance of us having a five minute break? Maybe open one of my presents a little early?'

'You'll have to wait until Christmas morning just like everyone else. Assuming you've been good, that is. And it's going to take you more than five minutes to unwrap.'

'Not normally it doesn't!'

'It'll be worth it.' he assured.

'I don't doubt it, I just wish you weren't such a tease. Now I'll have to resort to unwrapping it with my eyes.'

'Nothing unusual there,' Ianto quipped. 'Back to work, Mistletoe.'

He heard Jack groan on the other end of the line.

'Do you often talk to your boss like that?' Brady asked Ianto.

'Uh, it's complicated,' Ianto replied awkwardly.

Brady seemed to sense his thoughts. It was like the empathic link he shared with all of the other elves, but different somehow, like he could tell it was Ianto's emotions he was sensing.

'Oh,' Brady said, realising what the emotion was, his cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment.

'Oh, what?' Ianto asked concerned.

'Nothing.'

'You're sure?'

Brady turned in his seat and looked directly at Ianto.

'Sorry, I just realised that you and he, I didn't mean to. It was just. The link. I'm not used to being able to sense outsiders.'

Now it was Ianto's turn to feel embarrassed.

'It's not your fault,' Brady quickly interjected. 'Like I said before, you must just have some natural ability. The projection was stronger than what I'm used to. Elves are used to controlling their emotional projections, or shielding the strongest of them at least. They only share them with the elves they are closest to.'

'Sorry. I didn't mean to. It's this job. Sometimes it's impossible to forget that they people you care about most are the ones you lead into danger.'

'Why do you do it then?'

'It's not all danger. Some of it's brilliant. And it keeps people safe.'

'And Jack is important to you.'

'He is.' Ianto's curiosity got the better off him. 'Can you sense him?'

'No.'

Ianto tried not to look disappointed.

'But,' Brady added, 'sometimes you don't have to sense it to know it's there.'


	6. Chapter 6

It was the fourth street Jack had accomplished deliveries for. He had to admit, he even thought he might be getting the hang of it now. As the sleigh pulled up on the sleet covered rooftop, Jack jumped out, reaching back for the bundle of gifts. He made his way along the rooftop, feeling quite pleased with himself, just as a particularly slippery patch of ice caught him underfoot. His boot slipped out from under him, but just as he was sure he was about to topple off the slanted roof and fall to his death, or worse, serious injury, something grabbed him and arrested his fall.

Blitzen's teeth dug heavily into the back of Jack's coat, pulling him back.

When Jack managed to regain his footing, he turned to the grumpy reindeer.

'Thanks buddy. You just saved my bacon.'

Blitzen grunted back a response, halfway between what Jack took to be "you're welcome" and "you klutz".

'See, you do like me after all,' Jack joked. 'Extra brownie points for you with Vixen, now eh?' He whispered in the reindeer's ear.

* * *

If the scene in the infirmary had surprised Owen, given all his experience in A and E, it was a right shock to Gwen. Nothing in her days in the police force, or time with Torchwood had prepared her for this. In one corner she could see a woman huddling with a small child, feverish and covered in red spots. Dozens more were strewn about her in various states but all with the same telltale marks on their hands and arms. She suddenly felt very helpless.

She caught sight of Owen among the throng, busily working away. She sympathised with him. For all of his cocky, brash, and sometime just plain rudeness, he was very good at what he did, and based on what she could see, she didn't envy his predicament one bit.

'Owen,' she called out.

'Hey.'

'Any luck?'

'Still running tests. If I could figure out what it was and where it came from, we'd have a hope of trying to develop a treatment.'

'Can I help?'

'We've checked out the place where Jessie was working but there was nothing.'

'What about her home?'

'Other side of the city. We haven't had time with only the two of us here.'

'Tosh and I could go and check things out.' Gwen tapped her comms on.

'Tosh, how are you going down there?'

'I think we've nearly got it. The programming is back online. Just running a few more diagnostic checks before we put the machine on at full capacity.'

'Okay. When you're done can you meet me downstairs? I want to check out a few places around the city and could use a hand.'

'Sure thing. Give me twenty minutes.'

'Thanks, Tosh.'

* * *

'Urgh,' Jack groaned.

'What's wrong?'

'The snacks for Santa. Cookies, mince pies, scones, cupcakes, fruit loaf,' Jack recited. 'I don't know how he does it. Every house? No wonder he's fat and jolly. Any more and I think I'm going to be sick.'

'Not like you to pass up another biscuit. I'm forever restocking the jar.'

'This is on a slightly larger scale than a few extra chocolate hobnobs,' Jack qualified. 'And just for the record, I'm not the only culprit. Owen and Gwen eat more than their fair share as well.'

'Snap lock bags,' Brady interrupted.

'What?'

'There's a compartment at the front of the sleigh for snap lock bags. You put the extra cookies in there, and the milk can go down the sink.'

'Ah ha! Knew there was a trick to it.'

'Good,' Ianto said to Brady. 'He eats enough junk food as it is.'

* * *

Outside on the streets it had begun to snow and the wind had become fierce and bitter. Both girls pulled their coats and scarves tighter around them and ploughed through the few inches of snow that lined the ground, listening to the sound of it as it crunched underneath their feet, the only sound to be heard in the unnerving silence.

The streets were empty and it looked like the last place you'd expect to find the heart of the North Pole. Now it looked dark and bleak, like a Russian winter had passed over the town.

Several streets along and they came across the first living being. A male elf, maybe early forties, at least in human terms, with dark, short cropped hair, wending his way through the snow with a satchel.

'Hello!' Gwen called out, waving a hand, her bright smile showing between the bottom of her beanie and the top of her scarf.

The man spun to see the two of them and gave a frightened look.

'It's okay, we don't mean you any harm.'

The man began hurrying along down the street and into one of the neat rows of town houses without so much as a backward glance.

'I thought they were supposed to be friendly,' Gwen said. 'Do you think we should knock? Make sure he's okay?'

'I think the whole city is suffering from an unknown illness and he's just seen two complete strangers. Wouldn't you be hesitant to make contact?'

Tosh had a very good point. 'You're right. Okay, let's keep going,' she said, forcing her shoes through the slush. She wasn't sure if she imagined it or whether a curtain twitched as they passed the house the elf had sought refuge in, and the eyes that followed them down the length of the street.

* * *

Despite this being possibly the single most unique experience of his life, Ianto could feel his eyes drooping shut as he leaned an elbow on the console in front of him. He'd been busy monitoring both Jack and Santa whilst Brady had gone to check in with Rhys and Fletcher, updating inventory levels and production statistics. That was nearly an hour ago and both Jack and Santa were busily delivering gifts. Brady had returned a short time ago leaving Ianto with little else to do but await instruction. The lack of anything else to do was sending his brain to sleep.

'Cocoa?'

'Huh?' Ianto tuned and saw Brady standing there with a tray containing two mugs and a plate of biscuits. He hadn't even noticed him leave the room, let alone reappear laden with beverages. Was this what it was like for the team, having coffee just magically appear when they least expected it, but most needed it? No one ever fixed him a coffee, a tea occasionally, but that was more because anyone caught touching his coffee machine would suffer the consequences if they broke it. Admittedly, he could get used to this.

'Thanks.' It wasn't coffee, but right now anything hot and sugary would do the trick.

* * *

Owen had been watching Sandy bustling about the infirmary with a determined efficiency. He hadn't seen anything like it since his days as a junior doctor, watching some of consultants marching about. Most of the junior doctors liked to have a bit of a lark between patients, but you could always guarantee that just as you were about to deliver the punchline to your best joke, a consultant would appear from nowhere and kill it dead flat.

At the same time, he found Sandy quite attractive, and had she not been an elf, he could see himself asking her out for a drink afterwards. There was something beyond just the physical attraction, though he couldn't quite place it, but it intrigued him. Tired of fantasising about what he could do if things were different, he decided to focus on what things were actual fact. He casually made his way over, just as she was undoing a blood pressure cuff from an elderly looking elf with a thick white beard.

'How's it going?'

At first she said nothing and continued about her duties.

'Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to push you about the blood samples.'

'It's okay. I think maybe I overreacted too.'

She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the carving out of her pocket again, running her fingers over the well worn surface.

'You never did tell me how it is that you've been caring for all these elves, but you yourself aren't sick.'

'I know I haven't told you.' she said, keeping her head down and focused on the carving, before heaving a sigh and setting it on the nearby counter.

She afforded him a sad look, pulling up her sleeve and showing him the tiny red spots adorning her arm.

'Sorry Owen. I'm not immune, I just haven't gotten that sick yet.'

His expression turned serious.

'How long have you been showing symptoms?'

'Two days.'

'And the average time for and elf to go from symptomatic to comatose,' he let the rest of the sentence trail off

'48 to 72 hours,' she finished.

* * *

The small townhouse was near the edge of the city limits. It was quaint but modern on the inside, and reminded Gwen of the very first flat she'd lived in after she'd moved out and started at college, before she'd met Rhys. It had all the telltale hallmarks of a girl living on her own, but still holding on to the vestiges of her youth in the way the place was furnished and the casual way items were strewn about the place, without being messy. Gwen would have marked her as a bit new age and a bit of a hippie.

They spend twenty minutes perusing the few rooms that made up the house, inspecting kitchen cupboards and bathroom cabinets, discarded clothing and the like. Nothing stood out that indicated anything untoward. Gwen was in the lounge when the tapping sound caught her attention. She looked around for the source but it stopped.

'Tosh, did you hear that?'

Tap tap tap.

'There it is again.'

'The window,' Tosh said, pointing, 'look.'

Sat on the narrow ledge was a bird with soft grey plumage, tapping on the glass pane, and becoming more insistent. Tosh walked slowly over, loosening the catch and gently lifted the window upwards. The bird didn't hesitate in fluttering over to a nearby table, on which sat a small perch and a plate of seed.

'Must be a pet,' Gwen observed as the bird fed, then made itself comfortable.

'Poor thing's probably been trying to get in for days. It had no idea she'd be away for so long. I'll leave the window open a little bit, just in case it wants to go back outside, but I think it might stay here a while.'

'Doesn't look like there's anything else useful here,' Gwen stated. 'The pair of boots by the door are pretty heavy duty and look like they've seen plenty of use. We're not far from the edge of the city so let's take a look.'

* * *

Jack crept quietly into the lounge room where the tree sat proud and tall next to the fireplace.

He didn't notice the small lump curled up on the sofa nearby as he started placing the gifts under the tree.

'You're not Santa,' said the tiny voice.

Jack turned at the sound,

Ianto also heard the sound over Jack's comms. 'What's that?'

'We've got a live one,' he reported.

She must have been about eight or nine years old, even rugged up in her dressing gown and slippers she was still tiny.

'Yes I am,' Jack replied to her initial question.

'No you're not. Santa wears a red suit, not a silly coat.'

'You don't like the coat?'

'I like the coat,' Ianto added.

'And he's fatter than you.'

'Also not a bad thing,' Ianto confirmed.

Jack tried not to let the commentary in his ear distract him.

'But I am Santa.'

'If you're really Santa then what's my name?'

'Emily Stevens. And he she has a little brother called Fraser,' Ianto informed him. Jack grinned on the inside. Ianto to was worth his weight in gold.

'I think the more important question, Emily, is whether you're going to tell your little brother I'm here.'

'You really are Santa!'

'You know what? I'm going to let you in on a little secret, since you're such a clever girl. I'm not really Santa. My name's Jack.'

'Like Jack Frost?'

'Yup.'

'Told you it was a good name,' added Ianto.

Brady overheard what was happening and started having conniptions.

'No! He's going off message! He can't do that!'

Ianto shushed him for a moment. 'Just trust him.'

Jack sat down on the sofa and pulled the little girl into his lap.

'See, Santa had some trouble this year and all the elves got sick, so he needed someone to help him deliver all the gifts and make sure that none of the little boys and girls missed out on their presents this year.'

'So you're Santa's helper?'

'I sure am.'

'Will Santa's elves be okay?' she asked worriedly.

'He's got a very special doctor looking after them.'

'Good,' she replied sleepily.

'Okay, well I've got a lot more presents to deliver so do you promise to go back to sleep now?'

'Mmm hmm,' she agreed as he lay her back down and covered her with the blanket.

'Will you tell Santa I hope his elves are feeling better?'

'I will. Merry Christmas, Emily.'

'Merry Christmas, Jack.'

* * *

Rhys was really in his element now. This was just like work, only on a much grander scale and far more interesting. The only thing missing now was Ruth to bring him a cup of tea and some biscuits.

And, as an added bonus, he even got to boss Jack around a bit.

'Who taught you how to pack a sleigh? Honestly. First gifts in, last gifts out. Wouldn't give you a job working at Harwoods.'

'What I lack in logistical prowess, I make up for with my matinee idol looks and rugged charm.'

'Well you won't be charming me. Happily married man here.'

'Offer's open if you ever change your mind. I'm sure Gwen wouldn't mind.'

'You can leave Gwen out of this, thank you very much.'

'Can we get back to work please?' came Ianto's voice over their comms. 'I don't really want to have to explain to my sister how you went to bed last night and work up the next morning with a black eye. And I happen to agree with Rhys. Keep your hands to yourself.'

'You guys are no fun,' Jack sulked.

* * *

Ianto hadn't noticed it as first, more so because Brady was the sort of reserved individual that Ianto could relate to. They could have spent an age working in the same room without verbal communication. And secondly, because they had become like ships in the night. When Santa returned, Brady would head down to the loading area and coordinate the next batch of deliveries. As soon as he was off again, Ianto would switch places with him and help Jack to load his own, Rhys helping to make sure all the right gifts went in the right sleigh.

It wasn't until Santa's calling in for a report from Base Camp, that Ianto realised Brady wasn't answering.

'Brady,' he called out. He didn't respond. He was still sitting upright in his chair, but he seemed a million miles away.

He pulled off his headset and walked over. 'Brady!' he called again, this time shaking the elf's shoulder.

'Huh? What?'

'Are you okay?' It seemed like a stupid question. One look at his face and Ianto could tell he was definitely not okay.

'Don't feel so clever,' he admitted.

'Take off your jacket.'

'Why?'

'Just do it.' Ianto wasn't usually so forceful but there was no one else here to help. No sooner than he had the jacket off, Ianto was unbuttoning his shirt cuff and rolling it up to inspect his arm. Angry red dots covered it from elbow to wrist.

'How long have you had these?'

'Don't know,' he replied vaguely. 'They weren't there when I dressed yesterday morning.'

'That's two days ago!'

'I've been busy! Santa's empire doesn't run itself!'

'Sorry,' Ianto apologised. Poor Brady looked awful, his skin terribly pale under his white blond hair, a feat almost impossible.

'Come on, let's get you to the infirmary.'

'No, I need to stay here,' he protested.

'You can't stay here. You're sick and you need medical attention.'

A wave of nausea came over him, sending chills up and down his spine, and he couldn't argue the point any longer.

'You'll have to take over Christmas.'

'What? No! I can't. I'm just the admin guy!'

Brady smiled weakly at him. 'You're more than just admin. If I had to entrust Christmas to anyone, I'm glad it's you.'

Ianto didn't have time to enjoy the compliment. No sooner was it out if Brady's mouth then Brady's eyes slipped shut and he slumped unconscious in the chair.

* * *

Sandy could feel herself beginning to shake noticeably. She was just so cold. And her head was spinning. She gripped the edge of the nearest bed and tried to hold herself upright. Owen noticed her and the expression on her face as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, attempting to stop the room from moving around her.

'Hey,' came the gentle voice and the firm arm around her waist. 'You need to sit down.'

'I'm okay, I just,' she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as she too collapsed to the floor unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

Ianto had gotten straight onto his comms and called Owen for help to carry Brady up to the infirmary. Judging by the dozens of elves packed into every corner of the room, he was amazed he hadn't gotten sick sooner.

'It's bad isn't it?' he asked Owen, surveying the scene. Until now he hadn't realised just how bad, having been tucked away from all the chaos.

'Well, it's not good.' He didn't mean it to come out snarky. It was just the best he could manage at being polite, all things considered.

'I have to get back. Take care of him.'

'I will.'

* * *

Even thought the city was small, the walk out to its very fringes seemed to take them an eternity.

The snow lay thicker and heavier here, where there were no buildings to shelter the ground.

'There a patch of forest over there, just a mile or so away. We should head there.'

'Why?'

'Some of the elves said Jessie liked to venture out of the city, rescue injured animals and so forth. Maybe whatever sickness she got came from there.'

'We shouldn't venture too far. The snow has let up for the moment, but if it storms up again we could get lost pretty easily. And my GPS is useless up here. Must be the rift.'

'We'll stay within sight of the city. If we can't find anything on the edge of the forest, we'll head back straight away.'

Both Gwen and Tosh had their flashlights out as they trekked toward the edge of the forested area near the city. They'd touched in with Owen and he'd instructed them to take samples of anything that looked unusual or out of place.

They waved their torches along the ground and through the trees. None of the underbrush looked peculiar or odd. They could have been in Bute Park for all the difference it made.

'There's something over there,' Tosh said, pointing her torchlight a few yards to their left. They slowly approached, their lights now fixed on the small lump on the ground.

'What is it?'

* * *

The main control room suddenly seemed very empty and not a little bit foreboding now that Ianto was here on his own. He reluctantly sat down in Brady's seat and gathered up the headset.

'Base Camp calling Santa.'

'Santa here. Is that you Ianto?'

'Yes, sir. I'm afraid I have to tell you that Brady is sick like the others.'

'Oh dear. Will he be alright?'

'I hope so. What do you need me to do, sir?'

'Just keep doing what you have been. Do you have Brady's tablet?'

'Yes,' he replied, picking it up and seeing a vast array of charts and statistics rolling across the screen.

'Just keep an eye on things. If anything goes into the red or pops up an alert, let me know.'

'Okay.'

'Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just keep an eye on Jack, he needs your help more than I do.'

'He always does,' Ianto quipped, forgetting himself for a moment, until Santa laughed out loud.

'That he does. '

* * *

Jack had to admit, he was really starting to enjoy himself now. Forget the stakes of ruining Christmas completely, he had to confess, this was the most fun he'd had for a long while. It was always good to be at the wheel of something capable of cruising through the skies at glorious speed. The next time he saw The Doctor, he would have to thank him for putting in a good word at the North Pole.

'Ianto, you really should see this view. Maybe when this is all done we could go for a spin together.'

'How about we focus on getting all these gifts delivered before we celebrate,' he said harriedly.

'Killjoy. Who spat in your coffee? What's going on down there anyway?'

'I'm currently in the wrapping room, trying to fix a jam in the curling ribbon dispenser. It keeps trying to tie hangman nooses instead of bows.'

'And are you qualified to fix that?'

'No, but who else is going to do it?'

'Where's your stunt double? That cute little piece of vanilla candy in a suit?'

'If you're referring to Brady, which for your sakes I hope you're not, he's in the infirmary.'

Jack dropped the sleigh reins from his hands.

'He's sick too?'

'Collapsed in the control room.'

'I'm sorry. I didn't know.'

'Not your fault,' he quickly covered. 'I just kind of wish Tosh was here to help me,' he said, pulling a long tangled strand of yellow ribbon out of a nearby cog and glaring at it. 'This is more her thing than mine.'

'Where's she?'

'Off with Gwen. They've gone to investigate the last known whereabouts for our patient zero.'

'Okay, well, I'm sure you'll manage.'

'Who thought Christmas was so complicated? I'll never complain about running the hub ever again after this. Give me a dozen weevils any day.'

Jack laughed. 'I'll hold you to that.'

* * *

Tosh bent down for closer inspection.

'Looks like a snow fox,' she answered, running her light over the soft untattered fur of the small creature and the light reflecting back up out of its glassy golden eyes. 'I'd say it's been dead at least a day. No signs of injury though. Doesn't look like it's been attacked by anything.'

'What kind of predators would a fox have?' Gwen asked.

'Bears maybe? A bear wouldn't leave it behind though, if it was sufficiently wounded. It looks more like it's just collapsed and died.'

'You think whatever caused it to die might be connected?'

'Maybe. Owen, are you there?'

'Yup. Find anything?'

'There's a small patch of forest only a mile or two from Jessie's home. We found a fox that looks to have died from unknown causes.'

'I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but can you bring it back?'

'Sure. No problem. Anything for you Owen,' Gwen replied sarcastically.

'Anything else out of the ordinary there?'

'Nothing obvious. All the same, this place kind of creeps me out a bit. Let's hope that whatever did this, assuming there is a whatever that did this, isn't still here.'

'Alright. Head back then and we'll take a look at what we've got with your new pet.'

'Lovely. See you soon.'

* * *

The lights were bright as Sandy cracked open her eyes.

'Hey there,' greeted Owen.

She realised that the ground beneath her was soft. No, not the ground, it was a bed. She began pushing herself up off the bed.

'I'm okay. And someone else should be here. There's nowhere near enough beds as it is.'

Owen pushed her back down. It didn't take much effort, she was as weak as a kitten.

'No, you're not,' he said, inspecting the red spots running up and down her arms. 'You're lucky you woke up at all. Probably more exhaustion than illness, but you should still rest.'

She slumped back against the plump pillows. 'Any developments?'

'Gwen and Tosh searched the forest on the outskirts of the city. They found a dead fox, but it looks suspicious so they're bringing it in. There's nothing else to go on for the moment so we'll take whatever clues we can get.'

* * *

It was a round of hot mugs of tea when the girls came back inside, both chilled to the bone.

Owen prodded the sad creature as it lay lifeless on the cool metal table. Sandy was there next to him, still looking pale, but at least up and about for the moment. She wasn't about to give in yet but the hours rest had helped.

'You're right about it looking unnatural. I suspect if I take a tissue sample I'll find the same virus as the one affecting the elves.'

'But not us? How does that work?'

'I wish I knew. Maybe something we're exposed to in Cardiff that they don't have here? You checked her home right?'

'Nothing there. Just her pet bird and it was fine, if a little hungry.'

Owen stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, alert.

'What kind of bird?'

Gwen looked blankly back, biology had never been her strong point. 'Tosh? Any idea?'

'I'm no expert,' she admitted. 'Spotted dove maybe? Something like that.'

'A wild bird,' Owen clarified.

'No, it seemed trained, tapping at the window like it was used to being fed,' Gwen responded.

'No, I mean it came from the wild. Originally.'

'I suppose.'

Owen suddenly looked determined. 'We need to get that bird.'

'But it's not sick. At least it didn't look sick,' Gwen argued.

'Exactly. Birds are capable of carrying diseases without actually getting sick themselves. Whatever started this might have come from the forest, but it could have been spread by birds.'

'How does that help us? Even if it's carrying the virus, how do we figure out the cure?'

'You said you've got GPS chips on all the presents right?' Sandy nodded to him in reply.

'Well, what if we tagged the bird with one? Find out where it's been?'

'It could work,' Tosh said slowly, thinking it through.

'Figure it out on the way. Sandy, what's the quickest way to get around this place?'

'Snowmobile.'

'Can you get us some?'

'Of course. Everyone uses them.'

'Right. Gwen, you go get some of those chips and we'll meet you out the front.'

'On it.'

* * *

When Gwen came bustling down to the dispatch area, Rhys was surprised. He didn't even get a chance to greet her.

'Can't stop to chat. Those GPS chips in the gifts. Do you know where I can get some?'

'Oh, now you're interested in inventory management?'

'Chips, Rhys. Now.'

'Alright! Don't get your knickers in a twist. Let me go find the boss.'

Five minutes later and armed with a box of programmable chips, Gwen raced for the main entrance and found the two snowmobiles, Owen, Tosh and Sandy all ready and waiting.

* * *

Once they reached Jessie's apartment, Tosh set to work, programming the chip to feed back it's location. Gwen carefully approached the bird, now full and sleeping on the small perch Jessie had fashioned for it. She was easily able to scoop it up, and it didn't struggle at all in her hands, allowing her to stroke it's soft feathers, whilst Owen took a tiny sample of its blood.

Gwen almost felt sorry for the poor thing. Left out in the cold for days, and now finally home and able to rest in the warmth, and they were treating it like a lab rat.

'Confirmed it's carrying the virus,' Owen said as Tosh was clipping a small ring onto the bird's leg, containing the GPS chip.

Gwen carried it over to the window and release it into the air. Rather than try to come back inside, it immediately made a path in the direction of the forest.

'I'm getting a strong signal from the GPS. We should be able to follow it pretty easily.'

'Let's not waste any more time then.'


	8. Chapter 8

They left the snowmobiles at the edge of the forest and took to foot.

'How far Tosh?' Owen asked.

'Not terribly far. Maybe three hundred yards.'

Tosh kept her eye on the PDA screen in front of her, whilst Gwen and Owen readied their guns. No one had approved of them bringing weapons to the North Pole, but they were glad to have them at this moment, held firmly out in front, with their torches underneath.

Only fifty yards in and already the forest had become much thicker and denser, the night sky hidden from view by the canopy overhead.

The canopy finally gave way to a small clearing. One that looked like it was recently created by the large object now featuring at its heart.

'Looks like some kind of meteor,' Tosh observed.

'And no one noticed it come crashing down near here?' Owen said, casting his glance towards Sandy.

'We get the northern lights all the time. How can you tell the difference?'

They skirted around its edges, beams of light sparking off its metallic crystalline shell.

'What chance that our mystery virus caught a lift on this?' Owen chipped off a tiny fragment, analysing it.

'You beauty!'

'What is it?' Gwen asked.

'This meteor comes from the Gelvelin galaxy. That means it's heavy in cadmium and sulfur.'

'So? '

'Sulfur in its base form naturally inhibits aerobic bacterial growth. If the virus was present in just a few microbes on the surface of the meteor, the heavy nitrogen, and hydrogen in our atmosphere would have oxidised it into sulfate, causing the virus to come out of its stasis feed on the sulfates, growing and replicating. Our bodies are full of sulfates so it would have been a natural breeding ground for it. All it had to do was find the first living thing that crossed it's path and hitch a ride.'

'How does that help us?'

'Streptomycin,' Owen declared.

'Strepto what?'

'It's like penicillin but stronger. They used to use it to cure tuberculosis. It kills bacterial growth. Chances are it could work on a virus like this.'

'How do we get it?'

'There should be some back at the hub. All I need is some sterilized water to make up the solution. We'd need to test it on samples first, make sure it works on the virus and on elves.'

'How are we supposed to get back? We need a sleigh and we don't have one.'

'We could wait for Santa or Jack to come back, and get one of them to drop us off,' Tosh offered.

'No time, we need to act now.'

'What do you suggest, then?' Gwen exclaimed frustrated.

'Wait,' said Sandy. 'You don't need a sleigh, all you need is a reindeer.'

The two of them seemed startled by the interruption and stared back at her, surprised.

'A reindeer?' Owen said skeptically.

'You need to get through the rift, so use a reindeer.'

'You happen to have a spare lying around in the garage?'

'We can use Rudolph. He's getting on in years but he could still manage it. It's not like he's pulling a whole sleigh and Santa.'

'Okay. I can't believe I'm saying this, but let's go get that reindeer.'

* * *

On one of Jack's returns to the Pole, he ran into Ianto, literally. He could tell from the look on the young man's face that he was struggling to keep up with the added workload. It was so unlike him to show any signs of being frazzled.

Despite the urgency to get back into the sky, he couldn't help but stop him in his tracks as he bustled about the place, tablet in hand.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're going to wear a hole in the floor.'

'I'm monitoring fifteen different machine processes, seventeen timezones, another seven which haven't come online yet, eight reindeer, two Santa's...'

'And a partridge in a pear tree?' Jack joked.

'It's not funny, Jack.'

'Oh Ianto,' Jack said, cupping his cheeks. 'It's not the end of the world. We can do this. You can do this. Where's your Christmas spirit?'

'Stuck at home, in the cabinet with the glasses and ice.'

'See, there it is.' He pecked him lightly on the cheek before they parted ways again.

Ianto inhaled deeply and marched on, headed for the gingerbread room to sort out a powdered egg shortage in the icing machine.

* * *

Sandy took them down several levels from where they were and across a vast distance of hallways and corridors. Given the size of the building, they were clearly headed to its farthest point.

The stables were much more traditional than the rest of the facility and still had that Devonshire countryside feel about them. The smell of straw and farm animal was strong, and the room was lit with a few dull oil lamps bolted into the support beams.

'Here he is,' she said, walking over to a large wooden gate adorned with a snowflake cut into its top. 'Hello, old boy. Fancy a bit of a midnight flight?'

The wizened animal honked out an affirmative sound, and she stroked the greying fur on his neck. She undid the latch on the gate and stepped inside, leading him slowly out.

'He can only take two of you,' she said, making her way over to the tack shed and pulling out a bridle.

'Tosh,' Owen said, electing her. 'You're the lightest. No offense, Gwen.'

'Always appreciate the backhanded insult,' Gwen countered, but was secretly glad not to have been chosen.

Tosh was slightly surprised to have been picked.

Sandy began strapping up Rudolph. Owen was glad she was up and about again, but there were the slightest hints that underneath it all she was only just holding it together. The earlier rest had helped, but the spots on her arms were still prominent.

'You make it look easy,' commented Gwen. 'Have you done this before?'

'My dad was a master strapper. He taught me everything he knew about caring for reindeer.'

'But you ended up a doctor?'

'Not much demand for strappers. Dad didn't want me to end up refilling inks on wrapping machines so he made me get a proper qualification. There you are, all set. Just tell him where you need to go and leave the rest to him. Old Rudolph can find his way anywhere and in any weather.'

Owen looked dubiously at the creature.

'No saddle?'

'No need, just hop on.'

Owen attempted to clamber up onto his back unsuccessfully. He was rather much taller than first appearance would have him believe.

'A little help here?'

'But you're so light!' Gwen jibed, enjoying the moment.

'Har har.'

Sandy fetched a low stool and with it, Owen was able to mount the reindeer. He helped pull Tosh up to sit behind him.

'Ianto?'

'What's up, Gwen?'

'We need to use the rift to get back to Cardiff. Owen and Tosh are taking a reindeer back to get medical supplies. Any openings?'

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

'Sorry, did you just say Owen's taking a reindeer back to Cardiff?'

'Shut up, Teaboy,' Owen interrupted.

'Okay, give me a second. Yes, from your position, head two miles south and six hundred yards east. There should be an opening near Merthyr. That's as close as I can get you on short notice.'

'Okay thanks,' Gwen said, following the others into the night air outside.

'Right. See you soon,' said Owen, gripping the reins.

Tosh wrapped her arms tightly around his middle for a lack of anything else to hold. Under any other circumstances she might have enjoyed it.

'Have I ever mentioned that I really don't like flying!'

The reindeer leapt high into the air and Tosh couldn't suppress the scream that issued from her mouth.

* * *

Jack peered inside the sack and found a whole bunch of presents still there. He looked around and was confused. All the houses were done and yet there were still gifts left over. He checked some of the tags. Nope, no names that matched any of the houses he'd just been to.

'Ianto? I think the reindeer are confused. Or lost. I've got gifts but no houses.'

'What names are on the labels?'

'Uh, I've got a Becky Wilson, Johnathan Wilson, must be siblings, and this one's for an Ava Saunders. There's another two dozen beyond that.'

'Hang on.' Jack could hear Ianto clicking away. 'Okay, Becky Wilson, Johnathan Wilson, Ava Saunders, all listed as address "transient".'

'Transient. What does that mean?'

Ianto furrowed his brow in thought. 'Where did you say you were again?'

'Dublin, somewhere on the edge of the city. But there's nothing out here. Just a rubbish tip in the middle of nowhere.'

'They're homeless.'

'What?'

'The kids on you list. That's why there's no address. That's why the sleigh ended up there.'

'You think they're nearby?'

'Makes sense.'

'Okay guys,' Jack said, addressing the reindeer. 'I hope you're right.'

Jack began wandering around the area. The whole place had the persistent smell of rotting food and old rubber tyres. He spied a faint light coming from behind a large mound of detritus. What Jack found on the other side shocked him.

The light was coming from an old oil drum, burning wood and paper filling it, and sparking embers into the night sky. A half dozen people in various filthy rags were huddled around it for warmth, sleeping with flattened cardboard boxes underneath them and more covering them overhead.

Nearby a burnt out car looked to be full of bundles of blankets. That's when he realised what it was. Those tiny bundles were children, sheltered from the worst of the winter chill by the car's outer shell. It broke Jack's heart to know that these kids had no home and nothing to celebrate on Christmas morning.

'Oh God,' Jack sighed despondently.

'You found them?'

'Yep.' He sighed again. 'It's not fair. What did they do to deserve this? Forgotten or ignored by the people in their warm homes and their bright city lights.'

Ianto could feel Jack's pain and wished he could be there.

'Kids from broken homes, missing parents or orphans, forced to eke out an existence on the streets. Never knowing when they'll eat next. Makes you grateful for what you have. At least Santa hasn't forgotten them.'

'I suppose. I just wish there was more we could do.'

Jack carefully and quietly laid down the presents, tucking a teddy bear under the tiny arm of one child before pulling the blankets tightly around her sleeping form and disappearing once again into the night.

* * *

When Owen and Tosh returned, Gwen was on her own and the expression on her face suggested bad news.

'Where's Sandy?'

'She collapsed just after you left. She's been in and out of it, but it doesn't look good. Several of the other elves have slipped into comas too. Two others died.'

'Jessie?' Owen asked fearing she'd become the first casualty.

'No, she's still the same. It was two other elves, one older lady and a little boy. He was only ten.' Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. 'I didn't know what else to do.'

'It's okay,' Owen reassured her. 'I don't know know that there's much any of us could have done in the circumstances.'

She sniffed loudly and tried to compose herself. 'You've got the cure?'

'We've got the supplies. Still no telling if it will work. I'm just about to head down to the lab and start testing it.'

'Please hurry.'

* * *

Rhys wasn't expecting to see Gwen again that night, it was just another typical Torchwood mission. Jack running off to save the day, the rest of the team busy at work in this thing or that, and Rhys left to carry the can in whatever boring and relatively non life threatening job there was. This time though, he didn't mind it so much. There were no aliens, well, not of the dangerous, take over the world sort, no guns, and no one trying to kill them.

And Fletcher was a good egg in his books. A little eccentric, but, if you were an elf working at the North Pole, he supposed that was to be expected.

'Hey,' came the small voice.

He turned around and saw Gwen standing in the doorway, hands jammed tightly into the pockets of her jeans.

'Hey you, not home time is it?'

'Not yet.' She tried to smile but the expression was strained on her face.

'What's wrong?' He reached out a hand and she took it, pulling him towards her for a hug. He held her tightly while she buried her head against him. He didn't have to know the details of what was bothering her.

'Everything's going to be fine,' Rhys assured her.

She pulled back to face him. 'I know.' This time her smile wasn't so forced.

'You know what you need? You need to see the wrapping room. Four hundred gifts per minute. It's bloody marvelous. Took me twenty minutes just to wrap Ruth's kris kringle present.'

'That sounds lovely. I could use a bit of Christmas cheer.'

* * *

Owen returned from the lab to check on Sandy. He was pleased to see that she was awake at the very least.

'You're back,' she croaked.

'Thought you'd gotten rid of me?' he joked, checking her vitals.

'Only hoping,' she joked back. 'You got what you needed?'

'It's a long shot and it hasn't been tested. I'm waiting for the results. There's no telling how an elf might react to these drugs.'

'Use me'

'What?'

'Test them on me.'

'I can't.'

'Yes you can! If they don't work then we try something else.'

'It could kill you. At best it could cause cranial nerve and kidney damage.'

'Or it could cure me. Jessie and Osman and dozens of others are dying. Wouldn't you take the chance if it could save you friends?'

For once Owen couldn't argue with her. Anyone at Torchwood would have done exactly the same thing. Regard for ones own life came second to everything else.

'Okay.'

* * *

'How will you know if it's working?' Tosh asked, as she watched Owen preparing the solution.

'The virus is currently overloading a whole bunch of internal systems, but white blood cell counts should give us the best indication. We should be able to get a first run reading about two hours after administering it.'

'That's good.' She didn't know what else to say, but the silence was killing her.

'So, did you have any plans for Christmas?'

'Why do you ask?'

'No reason,' she responded quickly, 'just, you know me, always with the questions,' she laughed nervously.

'Planning on spending it with my three favourite people and a very large bottle of scotch.'

For a moment Tosh thought he must have meant Jack, Ianto and Gwen, and she felt hurt that she was being left out. 'And who would they be?' she asked awkwardly.

'Me, myself and I.'

'Oh,' she replied, her voice a mixture of surprise and relief.

'You?' Owen asked.

'All the family gathering at my parent's house in London. I never know how Mama can manage to fit sixty people in their tiny house, but she does. You don't see your family at Christmas?'

'We're not exactly close.' His reply seemed tinged with some small amount of regret. She couldn't imagine Christmas without family.

'Well, I'm sure whatever you do you'll have a nice day.'

'Yeah, if we're lucky, aliens might take over Newport and give us something to do,' he replied as he exited the lab, syringe in hand.

* * *

'Have you seen Ianto anywhere?' Gwen asked.

'He was here about twenty minutes ago,' Rhys replied, 'something about the gingerbread icing being pink instead of puce. He seems very upset about it. I can't tell the difference, to be honest, but he did leave a few samples,' Rhys added, offering her the plate of decorated men. She gratefully accepted one. When had she last eaten?

'What about you, love?'

'I thought I'd come give you a hand if you need it. Owen's busy upstairs and Tosh is there to help. I feel a bit like a third wheel, really.'

'And you thought you'd come see a master at work?' he said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. Now would have been a really bad time for him to lean too far back and fall out of it.

'Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Rhys Williams. Do too good a job and Jack might want you working for Torchwood permanently.'

'Serious?'

'Not a chance.'

* * *

Jack was about ready to take back his earlier comments about enjoying being Santa.

For all the good parts, he'd fallen down stairs, been threatened by someone's German Shepherd who happened to be sleeping by the tree, was nearly strangled by a wayward string of lights, set off the GPS alarms on several gifts, managed to dump a roof load of snow off someone's roof with the sleigh, which was now piled five foot high against their front door, set off a trip wire from some child's Santa catching trap, resulting in the world's fastest present drop, and had, despite everything, managed to eat his way though more treats than his stomach could handle. The food coma he was going through threatened to put him to sleep for a week.

'Are we there yet?' Jack asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

'Did I just hear you yawning? Since when do you get tired?'

'I get tired!' he argued.

'I'll remember that the next time you wake me up at three in the morning.'

'Maybe I wouldn't get up if you weren't snoring.'

'I don't snore, I snuffle,' Ianto replied indignantly.

'Call it what you like, but right now I couldn't care how much you snuffled. How many more to go, dare I ask?'

'According to this, your lucky last shift for the night is Cardiff. I also have it on good authority that your last house happens to be 26 Westaway Close.'

'Good to know David and Mica both made the nice list this year. Okay, well, we're almost done here. I'll see you back for a final pickup of gifts soon.'

* * *

Owen wandered into the room and up to Sandy's bed, clipboard in hand.

'You've got the results?'

White cell count is rising. And the fact that your other symptoms haven't worsened, I'd say it's working.

'That's great news.'

'We're just about to start administering the cure to some of the sickest elves. If your results are anything to go by, we should have turned a corner.'

Sandy smiled up at him. 'I don't know what to say to thank you.'

'It's me who should be thanking you. You took a big risk being our guinea pig.'

'All part of the job.'

Owen smiled back at her.

* * *

When Jack's sleigh finally pulled in to the dispatch area, there were four faces there to greet him. Santa, Gwen, Rhys and Ianto. He felt relieved that he'd completed his final delivery and exhausted at the same time. It was definitely one of the longest all nighters he'd ever done. In fact, they all looked exhausted.

'Well done my boy!' Santa exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder as he stepped out of the sleigh. 'We couldn't have done it without you. Without all of you.'

As he was gently undoing the bridle on the reindeer, Blitzen even licked his face as he passed.

'I had a lot of help,' he said, returning the favour with a scratch behind the ear.

'And us,' Ianto to added.

'How are the elves?' Jack asked. He hadn't had time for an update practically all night.

Just as he asked the question, Owen and Tosh appeared in the doorway.

'Jessie is awake and on the road to recovery. The worst of them are showing marked improvement and the rest are being given the cure as we speak. They should all be back to full health in a matter of days.'

'What was the problem?'

'Several allergic reaction to an airborne agent. Good news is that now that they've been exposed to it, their bodies should develop an immunity to it.'

'You mean like chickenpox?' Ianto asked.

'Same principle. Once you've had it, you can't get it again. That's why it didn't affect us.'

'And you say it was a meteor? Must have come through the rift to have traveled from that far away.'

'That's the theory.'

'Great work everyone. There are a lot of kids out there tonight that are going to wake up tomorrow morning very happy indeed.'

'Yes, thank you all very much indeed,' agreed Santa. 'I don't know what we would have done without you. The Doctor chose his companions well.'

Each of them blushed at the unrivaled compliment.

'Now, speaking of morning, I should be getting you all home so that you don't miss Christmas either!'

Once they'd made their goodbyes to Fletcher, and to Brady and Sandy who were resting in the infirmary, who also thanked them profusively for their efforts, they were bundled once more into Santa's sleigh, and not long after, were cruising above the pre dawn heights of home.

Once Tosh and Owen, Gwen and Rhys had been dropped home, Jack asked for one final favour from Santa.

* * *

The view from the sleigh was better than any rooftop, and almost better than any spacecraft Jack had ever ridden in. The air was chill but the spectacular rainbow shower of light of the Aurora Borealis over the snow clad hills of Norway made them completely forget the cold. Before he hadn't had the chance to properly admire the view, too busy with making sure he didn't tumble himself out of the sleigh, and now he had someone to share it with.

Jack wrapped an arm around Ianto and pulled up the blanket draped over their laps.

'This is the best Christmas ever.'

'Mmm,' Ianto agreed, snuggling against Jack. He closed his eyes and began to feel sleepy. As amazing as the view was, saving Christmas was exhausting work.

Jack leaned his own head in, drowsiness settling on him as the cool air brushed over his face and through his hair. He didn't remember falling asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

'C'mon Rhys were going to be late,' Gwen said, rushing around the living room, trying to pack food whilst simultaneously using a curling iron.

'I'm telling you Gwen, next year were having Christmas at our place. No ifs, no buts. I don't care if the oven isn't big enough for your mum's turkey. Do you have any idea how bad the traffic is going to be having to drive to Swansea on Christmas day? And always bloody roadworks! Who's paying these people to work on Christmas day then, eh? Us, that's who!'

'Oh, stop your fussing, Rhys! It won't be that bad.'

And it wasn't. No roadworks and green lights all the way. They even got there early.

* * *

'Look, I'm sorry Mama,' Tosh said, stumbling along the street in high heels, bags full of gifts on one arm, the other holding her phone to her ear. 'There'll be another train in an hour. Just start without me. Yes, I know Sofu and Sobo will be upset. I'll get there when I can I promise. Tell Papa not to worry, I'll get a cab from the station when I arrive.'

She struggled up the steps to Queen St Station. She wasn't sure why she was hurrying, she'd already missed the train to London and it would be a long wait for the next service, whilst her family disapproved of her tardiness on today of all days.

When she arrived though, there was a train there. She caught the attention of a nearby guard.

'Sorry, but am I on the wrong platform?'

'London train?'

'Yes.'

'That's her.'

'I thought I missed it. It's ten past the hour.'

'I know, love. Driver had an asthma attack, had to get a replacement driver so it's running late. Should be off in about five minutes though if you're still catching it. Lucky for you, eh?'

'Yeah,' she agreed, 'lucky.'

'Merry Christmas!'

* * *

Owen knocked on the door with trepidation. When had he last been here? Three months? Six?

The woman who answered the door was petite with silver hair and chocolate brown eyes. She always looked older than she was, thought Owen.

'Owen.'

'Hi mum.' There was an awkward pause.

'I wasn't expecting to see you, thought you had to work.'

Owen shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, looking contrite.

'Well, it's Christmas, innit? More important things than work. But you're right, I should have called ahead.'

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. 'Don't be silly. Mark and Annie are inside, and Annie's kids. Why don't you come in? Always room for one more.'

'Thanks, mum.'

* * *

Ianto woke in the warm softness of the bed, Jack snuggled around his body.

'Morning,' murmured Jack, wrapping his arm a little tighter.

'Morning.'

'Merry Christmas.'

'Mmm. I had the weirdest dream last night that all of Santa's elves got sick and we had to save Christmas.'

'Really? I had that exact same dream.'

'Well that's not possible, is it? Wouldn't we remember if something like that actually happened?'

'Probably. Maybe there was something in that eggnog last night. Plus it wouldn't be the first time we've had the same dream. I dream about shagging you all the time.'

Ianto chuckled and lay there for a moment enjoying the peace.

'David and Mica will be tearing about the house any minute now.'

'Guess we'd better get ready then.'

* * *

The floor was littered with wrapping and curling ribbon while David and Mica took in their new toys. The four adults were lounging on the sofas sipping hot coffee.

'Oi, there's still gifts under the tree,' Rhiannon declared.

'Thought we'd done them all,' said Johnny.

Rhiannon reached under the tree for the two small boxes. 'They're for you,' she said, reading the tags and indicating her brother and Jack.

Jack opened it. Inside the box was a silver ring. The inner band was engraved and he held it up to the light to read it. "All my love, Ianto." 'Aw, it's beautiful.'

Ianto was perplexed. Nice as it was, he hadn't bought it. What was Rhiannon up to?

'Open yours.'

'He did. Inside was a matching silver ring, engraved, "All my love, Jack."

Now it was Jack's turn to look confused. 'You know I'd take credit, but I didn't do that.'

'I'm confused,' said Rhiannon.

'You mean these aren't from you?' Ianto asked his sister.

'Do I look like I'm made of money?'

'Well if you didn't buy them, who did?'

'Santa of course, silly,' Mica said, hopping up onto Ianto's lap.

'Santa's not real, dumbo,' said David.

'Shut up. He is, stupid.'

'Oi, none of that,' scolded Johnny.

'He is real, isn't he uncle Ianto?' Mica asked looking up at him.

He hugged her tightly, thinking back to last night's dream. 'Yes, he is,' then looked down at the ring and back up at Jack, smiling. 'Yes, he is.'

The end.


End file.
